Daisy Chain
by phoenixreal
Summary: Alt Universe. Ichigo Kurosaki has to take care of his twin sisters and manage both two jobs and school. Living in a run-down apartment owned by an underhanded landlord, Ichigo doesn't think much of his life will change. Then, he gets asked out by a popular student who happens to be rich. Will Ichigo just be another notch in the bedpost for him, or perhaps something more? Yaoi
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Responsibilities and Dreams

Ichigo Kurosaki sat on the step of the run-down apartment they were renting. He was wondering how long he could pull this off. His mind was focused on their needs and the things they didn't have. He nearly jumped when his sister put her hand on his shoulder.

"Ichigo, are you alright?" Karin asked with a concerned look.

Ichigo just smiled and nodded. "Yeah, was just thinking about things."

Karin nodded and seemed to want to say something else, but she didn't. She just turned back to the apartment and Ichigo wanted to cry. He couldn't provide them a better life than this, and that was killing him inside. He swallowed the thoughts, though and went inside where Karin and Yuzu were sitting at the small table they'd found in the garbage last week. The table had been broken but Ichigo had managed to fix the legs enough that it could be sat at on the floor around it. He wasn't the best with his hands, but he could do at least this much for them.

"Anaki," Yuzu said as he came back in and took off his shoes at the entry. He put on his best smile and went over to the table where he complained that he wasn't feeling well, and not that hungry as the girls ate their dinner. It wasn't much, instant ramen bowls, but it was at least something.

It hadn't been quite four months since Ichigo ran away from home and found this apartment. The owner of the building was sleazy and honestly disgusting to Ichigo, but he had little money, and even less choice. He couldn't leave his sisters in that household with their foster parents. He still bore the scars from the years he'd endured their abusive natures, and he wasn't going to see his younger sisters suffer any longer. So, he was determined to take care of them himself. Their foster parents didn't notice they were gone, to be honest, and he knew they really didn't care.

It had been hard to find a place that wouldn't ask questions about a one-bedroom apartment being used by a college kid and two high school students. He had felt grimy and dirty just talking to the man that owned the building, and he hoped that his sisters never encountered him. Nissho Motome was his name, and he owned several buildings of low cost rentals. For that reason, he would have to keep up on the rent and make sure they caused no problems whatsoever in the place. Luckily, he and his sisters were used to being quiet.

He had two jobs so far that kept them barely in rent and food. He worked at a convenience store during the day and cleaned an office building at night. It was hard work, and he had to work it around his school schedule, but he managed to do it. He was lucky that he was good at academics because he was able to keep up even though he rarely could study outside of class.

There was a silence on the place that descended as the girls went to bed for the night in the single bedroom. Ichigo slept on a futon in the living room of the place and let them have as much privacy as he could. He had school first thing in the morning, so he needed to get some sleep at least. He fell asleep finally, worried as always about what the next day would bring.

The next day brought as usual a day of work for Ichigo. They got up early and he got the girls off on the bus to school while he got himself ready to get to the local small college of Las Noches. He was trying to get into medicine, but he wasn't sure that he'd be able to afford that kind of school. Right now, he was struggling with the money needed to take care of the girls and put himself in school. One of his jobs paid for the household, and the other went to school costs.

He got on the bus to head to the school and was once again struck by how much he had to do for the day. After class, he had to get to the convenience store job, then when he got off there, he had to rush to the office building halfway across Karakura Town. He sighed as he adjusted his backpack and wondered how long before he completely wore himself out at this rate. He would keep going, though. He had to make sure the girls were taken care of and he had to make certain that they got their education finished. He got off at the school and walked into the classroom.

As usual with this class, he felt a pang of hurt when he saw his one-time best friend sitting in the back with some of the other popular students in the school. Renji Abarai had known Ichigo from his time in the orphanage they had stayed at before they were given to a foster family. The last few months, though, Ichigo didn't have time for anyone, let alone someone who wanted to go out and have fun. So, he'd pushed away any and all of his friends in response to having to take care of his sisters. He sighed as class began and he did as much of his work while the professor was talking as he possibly could.

Class ended, and he gathered his books and papers up to head to the next one. He had all early morning classes so that he could work in the afternoon. It made it difficult when he worked both jobs in the same day, but it was something he was learning to cope with. As he was walking out, he caught sight of one of Renji's new friends and swallowed a lump in his throat because he hated to admit it, but the guy was hot and an athlete. He was a rich kid, probably didn't want for anything, but Ichigo had thought he was good looking since the first day he saw him. He was slightly taller than Ichigo and had his hair dyed baby blue. He had a weird name, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, but he played on the soccer team. He was a goalie and really good from what Ichigo heard. Still, the fact he was attractive didn't excuse his attitude of superiority. What's more, he was known for having a girl on his arm. Hot or no, Ichigo knew he was far out of reach and probably straight.

Ichigo himself wasn't really gay; he considered himself pansexual, though he had little experience with anyone. He didn't find one gender more attractive over another, he simply found a person attractive or not, no matter what their gender. In this case, he happened to find this older male student attractive to a great degree. He huffed a sigh and walked out of the room past Renji and the group that congregated around Grimmjow. He tried very hard to look like he wasn't looking at him as he passed by.

He heard muttered talking as he went past and then he was surprised when someone stepped in front of him. He stopped and looked slightly up into cerulean blue eyes. He was really close, he thought as he took a sharp breath.

"Hey," Grimmjow said, arm across the front of him, barring him from going down the hallway.

"Ah, hey?" Ichigo said as he stood frozen. He couldn't move even if he'd tried.

"So, was wonderin', would you wanna go out with me to get some coffee or somethin'?" he said with a smirk on his face.

Ichigo blinked rapidly for a second and then it registered what he said. "What?"

"You heard me," he said in the voice that sent shivers down to Ichigo's toes. Oh, holy hell, he thought to himself, heart trip-hammering in his ears.

"Um, th-thank you for the offer, but I've gotta get to my next class," he stammered and zipped around him, mostly to hide his flushed face.

He glanced back to see the guys in Grimmjow's crew laughing at him as he walked back over to them. It had to have been a joke. There was no way that just happened.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

"Why in the world do you want to ask _him_ out anyway?" Renji said with a glance after the retreating figure.

"Because he's cute, and no one tells me no," Grimmjow said with a smirk. "I mean, they're always falling all over me to take them out somewhere, and this one just flat refused me," he muttered the last, a little annoyed by that fact.

"Well, he just told you no. I told you, I know him. He's a prick and not worth your time, my friend," Renji said as they walked down the hallway. They'd left the others outside the last classroom. He had a class next with the red headed Renji.

"There has to be a way to convince him," Grimmjow said with a frown as he sat down in the back of the class. He glanced up front to see the professor, Dr. Urahara, was waiting for everyone to get settled into their seats. Grimmjow hated chemistry but it was a requirement to graduate, so he was here taking it in his last year of college.

Renji shook his head. "Tellin' ya, he's not worth it. I knew him when he was younger, before he decided he didn't need friends anymore last year."

Grimmjow had only known Renji for this year, but he liked the incoming student quite a bit. He was a good guy and while younger, seemed to have a good idea how things worked in the college life already. He sighed and wondered what he could do to change a no to yes with this guy.

"When you start swinging for both teams, anyway?" Renji asked as Dr. Urahara was busy talking to another student.

Grimmjow snorted. "Always have, just hadn't seen a boy that caught my attention lately. Girls have been keeping me busy, but I'm bored with 'em."

"Bored with pussy?" Renji said and gave him a shocked look. "You get enough for half the soccer team, and you're bored with it?"

"It ain't that simple. Sometimes you just want something different."

He watched the professor as he started class, but his mind was on the fact that he'd just been turned down. No one turned him down and he wasn't going to let it get around that he _had_ been turned down. Anyone would be lucky to be asked out by him. He was popular, good looking, and well off. He was definitely not someone who anyone would say no to. He huffed a breath and wondered what he could do to convince him.

After class, he split up from Renji and was determined to take him out for something. Maybe he didn't like coffee. Perhaps dinner would be more of an option for him. Renji had told him he was a foster kid, so he didn't have much money. Neither did Renji, but that didn't bother Grimmjow in the slightest. He may have been well off, but he wasn't bothered by those that weren't. He was about to head out the door when he saw him again. This time he was standing with his bag slung over his shoulder, reading something while he stood there. Grimmjow wasn't going to let anyone find out he'd been turned down for something like this.

"Hey again," he said and Ichigo's head snapped up from the papers he was looking at. Grimmjow saw the slight dusting of pink rise to his cheeks and thought maybe he didn't take him seriously.

"Um, hey," he stammered and just stared at him.

"I wasn't playin' earlier. I want to take you out for something," he said and felt nervousness bubbling in his stomach for the first time in a while. He quelled it.

"Um, I can't really," Ichigo said and Grimmjow could see his hands were shaking a bit. "I've gotta take care of my sisters and make sure they have dinner and everything…"

"How about if I bring over pizza for your sisters, could you go out then?" Grimmjow thought this might be the way to get a yes out of him by using his sisters. He gave him a grin. "I wouldn't mind at all."

He could see the light in his eyes at the suggestion. "You'd do that for them?" he asked and Grimmjow knew he had him now.

"Sure, can't let your sisters go without when you get to go have something nice, now can we?" he said with a smirk. He kept his hands in his pockets, trying to look chill with it all.

"Um, well, I guess if you'd want to do that," he said with a look on his face that Grimmjow wasn't sure he understood.

"How about this weekend? Are you free on Saturday night?" he asked and knew he really had him now. No one told him no. He wasn't going to break that streak.

"Um, yeah, I'm off work on Saturday this week," he said and Grimmjow wondered why he looked so nervous all of a sudden. "Do you want to meet somewhere or…?"

"I'll come pick you up," he said. "If you give me your address?"

Ichigo swallowed again and nodded. "Um, okay, here," he said as he got out a pen and ripped a piece of paper off the packet he was looking at earlier. He scribbled down a phone number and address on it and handed it to Grimmjow. "You can text me on that number."

"Okay, how about eight on Saturday?" he asked.

"Oh, okay, that's fine," he said and Grimmjow smiled as he watched him walk off. That went better than he expected. He just had to use his sisters to get him to do what he wanted. He didn't mind paying for a couple extra people. He smugly looked up at the clock to see it was time for soccer practice.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Ichigo could barely breathe when he got outside. He couldn't believe what just happened. Probably one of the best looking guys in the school had asked _him_ out on a Saturday night? He was still wondering if it was all a joke on him, but he didn't care. He had to take the chance. To get to go out with Grimmjow? And he was offering to feed his sisters too? What better offer was there? He stopped halfway to the bus stop. What would he expect in return, though?

Things like this always came with a cost. Nothing was free, and he knew he would be expected to do something. He swallowed a ball in the back of his throat. What if he expected sex? He'd never done that before, and he couldn't imagine Grimmjow being anything but a top. He screwed up his courage. Well, in return for what he was getting, he supposed it was a fair exchange. Buying pizza for his sisters wasn't exactly cheap, and taking him out to someplace besides fast food would cost something. No, he could do this. For his sisters.

It still didn't make Saturday any less nerve wracking.

"Anaki, so you're going out tonight?" Yuzu asked as he stood in the closet trying to find the best looking set of jeans he had to wear.

"Yeah, I hope you guys don't mind me going, but we're going to have take out of some sort for you two. I think he said he was stopping off to pick up pizza on the way," he said with a grin toward her.

"Pizza?" Yuzu said with a gasp. "Oh, wow, we haven't had anything like that in so long!"

Ichigo didn't catch the look that Karin was giving him. She was staring at him with a suspicious look on her face, and she wasn't too happy about what was happening.

"Yeah, but my friend is ordering it, so whatever he gets, you guys gotta be happy with, okay?" Ichigo said as he pulled out a pair of black jeans and a nice t-shirt from the closet. They only had one closet, but all their clothes fit in it easily.

Ichigo disappeared into the bathroom to change and came out a few minutes later. Yuzu smiled at him, and then hugged him.

"So, who is this friend of yours?" Karin asked as he checked the time, seeing it was almost six.

"Um, well he's…" There was a knock at the door just then. "Here," he said nervously and was seriously rethinking this whole thing. But he'd actually shown up, so it wasn't just a big joke on him.

He opened the door and found, to his surprise, Grimmjow was standing there with two pizza boxes. Ichigo stepped back and let him in. He was wearing a pair of nice, dark jeans and a button up shirt in a pale green color.

"Um girls, this is Grimmjow," he said and then looked at them. "And um, Grimmjow, these are my sisters, Karin and Yuzu."

Grimmjow nodded to them. Ichigo caught the glare Karin was giving him but he just ignored it for now. It wasn't like he'd probably be back. Ichigo took the two boxes and sat them down on the low table. Grimmjow cleared his throat.

"I didn't know what to get so I grabbed one with toppings and one just with cheese," Grimmjow said as he stood and looked around the spartan room.

"That's fine, whatever it is, that's fine." Ichigo smiled at him and then motioned to the front. "We should get going. Girls, if you need me, call me, I have my phone on."

Ichigo felt Grimmjow put a hand on his back and steer him toward the door. He turned back and waved at the girls. He hoped they were fine. It wasn't like they weren't used to being home alone since he worked so much. Still, he worried. He checked for his phone in his pocket again and was swept out of the front door by Grimmjow.

"Nice place," Grimmjow said with a disgusted look at the door behind them.

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah, it's kinda a dump, but it's a place to live."

Grimmjow led him to a car nicer than anything Ichigo had ever seen. "Wow, what a pretty car," he said with a low whistle.

"I call her Pantera, she's a Jaguar," he said proudly as he opened the passenger door for Ichigo.

"I wouldn't leave it parked out here for very long," Ichigo muttered, thinking that someone would try to steal the thing or do something to it.

"So, what do you like to eat?" Grimmjow asked as he got into the car.

Ichigo froze, not sure what to say. "Oh, anything is fine with me. I don't really have a preference," he said with a nervous laugh. "I'm not picky."

Grimmjow nodded and started the car up to pull out and get onto the road. Ichigo almost didn't want to touch anything in the car, it was so clean and nice inside. He was still admiring the interior when they pulled into a place with a lot of lights. It was a big place that Ichigo had never heard of and couldn't pronounce the name of.

"Italian food work for you?" he asked with a smirk as he turned the car of.

"Oh, yes, this is too nice, though," he said as he got out, feeling decidedly underdressed.

"Nonsense, this is a reasonable place," he said as he gestured for Ichigo to move ahead of him.

Ichigo was overwhelmed by how nice the place was. He just stared as they had to wait a minute to be seated. He'd never been in a place that he had to wait to be sat down like this. He was very nervous as they were shown to a table for two and the waiter came around and brought water for them. Ichigo looked at the menu and had no idea what to order. Everything looked too expensive and different. He felt his face heating up in embarrassment.

The waiter came over and Ichigo looked at Grimmjow with a hopeful glance. Grimmjow ordered something and then they both looked at Ichigo.

"I'm not sure what to get," he stammered, not wanting to admit that he was lost completely with the menu.

Grimmjow smiled and nodded. He ordered something, what Ichigo had no idea. He would eat whatever it was, though. He was the guest, after all. He picked up the glass of water and sipped it dryly. He was never this nervous but here he was entirely out of his element.

"So, you take care of your sisters?" Grimmjow said with a glance over at him.

"Oh, yeah, they're both fourteen, twins actually. They're going to school right now, so I have to make sure that they're taken care of and get to school," Ichigo said as he looked across the table at Grimmjow. "I've been working on saving up for them to go to college too."

"That's cool," Grimmjow said, drinking from his own water glass. "Why are you looking after them? What happened to your parents?"

Ichigo nearly choked on his own spit as he scrambled for an explanation on that. "Uh, just family circumstances, so I took on the responsibility." He hurriedly changed the subject. "So, do you live on your own or with your parents?"

"I live with my parents. They're letting me stay with them until I get out of school later this year and get into my field of work," he said as he swirled the water in his glass while he spoke.

"Oh? What is your field of work going to be?" Ichigo wondered as he watched the other man intently.

"Oh, well, I'm a multidisciplinary studies student, so I don't have a specific thing I'm going into yet," Grimmjow admitted, looking up as the waiter returned with their food.

As he sat down the plate, Ichigo felt his stomach rumble. Luckily it was noisy in the restaurant and it couldn't be heard. He hadn't eaten much in the last couple days, and now this full plate of food was sitting there before him. He swallowed as he watched Grimmjow start to eat and then he himself did too. The food was amazing, to be honest, and he didn't know what to think as he kept quiet, concentrating on the phenomenal food before him. When he finished, he looked up and saw Grimmjow was staring at him.

"Um, sorry, I was a bit hungry," he said starting to flush red as he sat there under his scrutiny.

"No, that's fine, I'm glad you liked it; I was hoping I picked out something you'd like," Grimmjow said with a smirk. "Do you want any desert?"

Ichigo shook his head, because he was stuffed to the top. His stomach had shrunk over the last four months and he couldn't eat as much as he once could. "Oh, no, I'm fine, great actually."

Grimmjow leaned over a little closer and smiled at him. "We can't get any wine here, but I have some back at my house. My parents are out of town for the weekend, so it's all empty."

Ichigo felt his face heat up and he nodded. He swallowed and knew that he would have to pay up for what he'd gotten tonight, and he was okay with that. He knew very well what going back to someone's place meant.

They got checked out and Ichigo was aghast at how much Grimmjow paid for the dinner just like it was nothing. He could have bought groceries for a week with that amount of money. He swallowed and knew he had to do really well for him because it was so kind of him to have brought him out to dinner and brought food for his sisters. Not many people would have done that, he thought.

Once back in the car, Ichigo felt his chest clench in anticipation. Maybe he'd read the signs wrong and all he wanted was to have a glass of wine and that was all. Ichigo had never drank anything so he wasn't sure what he was going to think of it. They arrived at a massive house and Ichigo was stunned yet again. Grimmjow pulled into the front and got out first, then came around and opened the door for him. Ichigo was so busy staring that he didn't notice the hand he put on his back at all.

"This is amazing," Ichigo breathed out as he walked into the entry. "I've never been in such a beautiful house."

"I guess it is nice," Grimmjow said as he led him into the kitchen.

"Nice is an understatement," Ichigo said as he looked around the huge kitchen. "My whole apartment would fit in this kitchen…" he muttered.

"Here, how about some wine?" Grimmjow said as he set down two wine glasses. He turned back to a small refrigerator that had only bottles of wine behind glass. He took one out and showed the bottle to Ichigo, who had no idea what the label meant. He opened it and poured the two glasses full of the ruby red liquid.

Ichigo didn't turn it down, of course. He was the guest and he wasn't going to be a bad guest. He sipped the red liquid and nearly coughed at the strong taste. He managed to drink another sip without sputtering.

"Come, sit down in the living room," Grimmjow said as he picked up the wine bottle with one hand and his wine glass with the other.

Ichigo found himself in a huge living room that was wide and open. Grimmjow steered him toward the sofa, a large sectional, to sit down. He put the wine bottle down on the coffee table and drank more of his. Ichigo matched him, trying to drink about the same amount as he was. He was starting to feel funny, though, as his face was heating up and he was feeling warm all over.

Grimmjow set down his glass and reached out to pull his face toward him. Ichigo gasped, being so close to him.

"So, do you want to continue this?" Grimmjow breathed out on Ichigo's lips.

Ichigo didn't know what else to do, he just gave a nod even though he was scared out of his mind. He was expected to do this, he knew that much. He gasped at Grimmjow put his lips on his throat, tensing as he felt something rush through him. He was still scared but he was also starting to feel something in the pit of his stomach.

He jerked as one of Grimmjow's hands slid down between his legs and squeezed the inside of his thigh. He wasn't so sure about this at all, but the wine was helping make it easier to let go. He swallowed convulsively as he was laid back into the sofa and Grimmjow grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head. He panted as he felt like his face was on fire. He felt Grimmjow's fingers at the button of his jeans and he wanted to stop him, but he didn't. He just let him do whatever it was that he wanted to do. He jerked as Grimmjow's hands slid down into the back of his pants to squeeze at his ass. He wasn't sure what exactly he was supposed to do, but he assumed that Grimmjow had done this before and knew enough.

"I haven't done this with a guy," Grimmjow whispered against his throat and Ichigo felt his heart hammer in his chest. He hadn't done this before? "But it can't be that much different from a girl, now can it?" he whispered, still licking and sucking at Ichigo's collarbone.

Ichigo felt his body reacting to all the touching and he thought that was good at least if he reacted to it. He arched a bit as Grimmjow began to squeeze him from the front. His hands seemed to be everywhere. He felt him sliding his jeans down off his hips as he got himself lost in the sensations as he let himself go a little bit. He felt his fingers sliding underneath to find their way inside him. He wasn't sure what to think of his thick fingers sliding into him. He arched as he brushed something that made the world fuzz out and he gasped.

"Does that feel nice?" Grimmjow growled against his chest as he sucked hard on one of his nipples.

"Ung," he answered, unable to articulate anything else at that moment.

Grimmjow hummed and began to stroke him a little as he fingered him. Ichigo didn't know what to expect as he climbed up on the sofa and slid up between his legs. He felt his fingers slip out of him. He looked down and saw him ripping open a small package with his teeth and then did something. Then something else was pressing against him and he knew enough that he knew that he couldn't tense up or else it would be painful. He swallowed and felt him press forward. Immediately, once he felt him begin to slide into him, he grabbed onto Grimmjow's arms and squeezed.

"I don't know about this," he gasped out.

"Just relax, I've done this with a chick before, just go easy," he told him as he slipped further forward.

He gasped and gripped Grimmjow's arms even tighter because it definitely hurt some as he moved forward. Grimmjow reached down and stroked him once he was all the way seated inside him. "Are you okay?" he asked as he started to move a little back and forth.

"I don't know," Ichigo said as he felt him slide against that part that felt really good again and gasped out.

"There," Grimmjow said with a sly grin as he slowly began thrusting into him and angling for his sweet spot again and again. Before long, Ichigo was feeling good as well, and the pain he'd felt at first was forgotten. Grimmjow began to stroke him slowly with his thrusts and before long he stiffened and came hard onto his hand.

Grimmjow smirked and began thrusting hard and fast into him, setting a ruthless rhythm until he stiffened and Ichigo felt him stop moving. He groaned and pulled back, slipping out of him. Ichigo panted as he felt Grimmjow move away for a few minutes and then he returned, tossing a hand towel at Ichigo. He cleaned himself off with it and sat up.

"That was fun," Grimmjow said with smirk. "You seemed to enjoy yourself," he said as he leaned forward and ran a hand over Ichigo's collarbone where he'd left a light mark.

Ichigo nodded, grabbing his pants off the floor and quickly getting back into them. He felt incredibly self-conscious of being without his clothes all of a sudden even though he'd been in a much more compromising position moments before. Grimmjow handed him his t-shirt back and he slipped back into it.

"Too bad you have to be back at home with your sisters, or you could stay until morning," Grimmjow said with a smirk. "Maybe have another round or two…"

Ichigo felt his face flush red and he shook his head. "Well, I have to be there for them in the morning so Karin can get up for her soccer practice."

"Understood," Grimmjow said with a smirk. "I'll take you back home."

Ichigo didn't say anything else all the way home and told Grimmjow goodnight as he dropped him off at his apartment building. Ichigo felt somewhat glad that the night went as well as it did, even if sleeping with Grimmjow had been no surprise, he still felt like he'd done something wrong. He carefully opened and closed the door behind him. He saw that the girls were both in bed already as they should have been at this hour.

Ichigo got into his futon still dressed and fell into a restless sleep. He didn't see the door to the girls' bedroom close, and the eyes that watched him get into bed.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Trappings and Feelings

Ichigo woke the next morning and sat up on the futon, immediately regretting it. He was still having trouble believing what he did the night before, but his body was telling him that it had been very real. He groaned and managed to get to his feet, still in the jeans and t-shirt from the night before. He had to get breakfast for the girls. He went to the refrigerator and opened it to see that the girls had saved a pizza and a half. He smiled because they were thinking ahead. He looked over as they both came out of their room, looking bleary eyed.

"You guys want pizza for breakfast?" he asked as he pulled out the half box.

"Yeah, that's fine," Karin said but she glared at him. "You came home late last night."

Ichigo felt his face start to heat and he cleared his throat. "Yeah, just had dinner and a drink at his place."

"Drink?" Yuzu asked as she picked out a piece of pizza and looked up at him. "What kinda drink?" she said and again Ichigo felt his face heat up even more.

"Just some wine," he answered, not able to lie in the least to his sisters. He wished he could.

"You're not old enough to drink alcohol, Anaki," Yuzu said with a frown.

"Well, it was at his house, so it was okay," Ichigo tried as the girls both sat down with a piece of pizza each. "I only had a little."

"Why did he want you to drink wine anyway?" Yuzu asked and made a face. "That stuff smells like it tastes bad."

The girls had both seen their foster parents drink alcohol many times and had been around it for years. Ichigo swallowed, smacking the refrigerator again. It was making a funny noise for the millionth time, and Ichigo didn't want to call the landlord. He just gave Ichigo the creeps. He wanted to keep that man far away from the girls.

"Just to be nice. He had a really nice house too, in a nice neighborhood," Ichigo tried to change the subject from the wine to the house. "I think his family is well off. He has a really nice car too."

"I don't trust him," Karin muttered over her pizza slice that she was almost finished with. "He seems like a douchey guy to me."

"Now, Karin, don't be like that. He bought you guys dinner and me dinner after all. That was nice of him, and he didn't have to do either," Ichigo said as he sighed, the refrigerator still making the weird sound.

Karin still looked at him. "Well, I gotta get to the soccer field; I have practice this morning," she said as she stood up, already in her soccer clothes. "Yuzu, you coming again?"

Yuzu stood up, smiling. "Yeah, I want to see that red headed boy again, he was nice to me."

"Jinta?" Karin asked. "He's a tool. You don't want to have anything to do with him. Even though he is a decent soccer player."

"You girls be safe and have fun at practice," Ichigo said with a smile as they set off.

He watched them go then sighed. "Ow," he muttered as he sat down on the futon again. He wasn't sure he wanted to have to pay for dinner like that again anytime soon, especially with Grimmjow. He had been far rougher than he had liked, but it was what it was. He wasn't in a position to argue with him over something like that. He swallowed and knew if he asked him again, provided he got the girls food, he would do the same thing.

He stared at the noisy refrigerator and then his phone. He didn't want to call the owner. But he really couldn't be without a refrigerator either. He had to have someplace to keep food for the girls. He licked his lips and thought maybe he could try and fix it himself, but then he realized how stupid of an idea that was. If only he knew more about Grimmjow, he could ask him for help… He was thinking about that when there was a knock on the door. He frowned and went to answer it.

He opened the door to see their landlord. Nissho Motome was a shorter man than Ichigo by a few inches, but he was easily twice his weight. He wasn't overly heavy, but he was thick around the middle. He had that greasy black hair that always seems to be stringy and in his face. His eyes reminded him of a rat's to be honest, either that or a used car salesman. He grinned at Ichigo.

"Rent's due," he said and Ichigo's heart slipped to his throat.

"I've got another two days!" he said with a glance at the calendar on the wall. Payday was tomorrow, so he didn't have the rent yet.

"I decided I needed it today. Unless you don't have it, then I have to tell someone about you and your sisters squatting in my place," he said with that chill smile.

Ichigo didn't know what to do. He couldn't have it reported that he was living here with the girls; they were still technically under their foster parents' care. He wasn't the problem, but the girls would be sent back to that house.

"I-I don't have it until tomorrow!" he stammered.

"Then we have a problem, don't we?" Motome said with that same grin on his face.

There was nothing to be done, though. He didn't have the money yet, and he couldn't get an advance on his paycheck from the convenience store. "Please, there has to be something that I can do so you can give me until tomorrow. Please!"

Motome tilted his head to the side and looked at him. "I saw you taking off with a guy in a nice car last night. So, seems like yer _that_ type of guy."

"Wh-what type of guy?" he asked, stomach dropping immediately.

"Don't play dumb, yer smart enough to get what I'm sayin'. I think we could make an arrangement, to keep the authorities from finding out about your sisters being here. Don't think I don't know something's going on with them being here like this." He gave him that cold smile again. "So, you can give me something for making me wait another day."

Ichigo's eyes went wide. "Wait, what?" he asked.

"I don't care, you offer something from yourself, I might be able to look the other way," he said with a look that Ichigo didn't like one bit. "Unless you wanna offer one of yer sisters? I'm not into lolicon, but they're awful cute…"

"No, leave them out of this!" Ichigo said as he started to panic.

"Then you're going to do me a favor in exchange for waiting an extra day for rent, aren't you?" Motome said with a wicked grin.

Ichigo swallowed and nodded. What choice did he have?

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

"So, you actually got him to go out with you?" Renji said with a smirk. "How was he?"

"Didn't talk much, too busy with other things," Grimmjow said smugly.

"No, really? You got him on the first date? You slick bastard," Renji said with a shake of his head. "Surprises me that he'd be so ready to fuck."

The two of them were sitting in the foyer where a bunch of comfortable chairs were set out in the college main building. "Hadn't he gone out when you knew him?"

Renji shook his head. "Nah, not that I ever saw. He was always too busy to go out with us even in high school."

"What was he busy with? He lives in a crappy apartment though. I was afraid my car would get jacked while I was there." Grimmjow sipped the can of coffee he'd gotten from the vending machine.

"Apartment?" Renji asked. "Last I knew, he lived with his foster folks in a house. Did they move?"

"It was just him and his two sisters that were there. Place couldn't have been more than one bedroom," Grimmjow frowned and wondered exactly what kind of life he had in such a crappy place.

Renji frowned. "That's strange, cuz his sisters are in high school. The shouldn't be living without their foster parents."

Grimmjow shrugged. "I don't know. I just know that where I picked him up wasn't a place I can see people living that have any family."

"Well, was he at least a good lay?" Renji asked with a smirk. It wasn't like he wouldn't have asked the same question if he'd gone out with a chick.

Grimmjow gave him a smirk and nodded. "Not bad. Granted, he wasn't too active with it, rather passive, but if he hadn't done it before…" he muttered.

"Well, now you can say you've taken the v card of a chick and a dude," Renji said and clapped him on the back.

Grimmjow wasn't sure how he felt about that. There had been no hesitation when he asked to go back to his place. There hadn't been any when he asked him if he wanted to go on. If he hadn't ever done it before, why would he have gone along with it so easily? He wondered at the circumstance. Had he put him in the position he thought he had to put out? He shook the thought away. That was ridiculous. He wouldn't have gone along so easily…when he used his sisters.

"I think I'm stupid," he muttered.

"Why's that?" Renji asked as he waved at Di Roy who was coming toward them.

"I don't know that he really wanted to do it so quickly," he said with a sigh. He was less sure now. If it had been a girl's first time, they would have said something or tried to stop him. So, what if he hadn't been as willing as he thought?

Renji poked him in the side, jostling him from his thoughts. "You aren't regretting it, huh? Maybe he'll expect you to be his boyfriend now since you took his virginity."

"Really? You got a virgin again, Grimm?" Di Roy said as he flopped into a seat. "Good to see you're still the one to get what he wants no matter what. Was afraid when he turned you down the other day that you were going to lose your spot as being known as the number one player around here."

Grimmjow felt a sudden pang of guilt. It wasn't a normal thing he felt after he slept with someone, because he rarely did have more of a relationship than a few dates and sleeping together a few times. He wasn't a relationship guy. "Either way, I don't think he's the type to get clingy. He didn't even try to stay the night or nothing," Grimmjow said with a shrug.

Renji shrugged. "You never know. Didn't that chick get clingy after you took her v card?"

"Yeah, that was rough. She really tried to hang on," he muttered, remembering the hell he had getting that one to leave him alone when he dumped her.

"Gonna go for it again since he was so easy?" Renji asked as Grimmjow started to stand up.

"Dunno. I wouldn't mind a lay I don't have to work for again. Come on, we're gonna be late to Ukitake's class. Guess I'll find out how he reacts to me since he's in that class. Not like he texted me or nothing so that's a good sign he's not gonna be a clingy bitch," Grimmjow said as he stretched his arms over his head.

Renji gathered his stuff and they headed off to Dr. Ukitake's psychology class with Grimmjow. Again, it was a requirement like the science class, so he was in a mostly incoming student class. He was anticipating the first encounter after having a date with someone. Sometimes they ignored him entirely, and others they came running up to ask when they could go out again. He didn't expect to see him with his head down on his desk, looking like he was ill. He frowned and resisted the sudden urge to go ask him if he was okay. He might have if the class didn't have so many of his crew in here. As it was, it had Renji, Edrad Liones, and Yylfordt Granz. He couldn't show a soft face in front of them.

Throughout the class, Grimmjow couldn't help but notice that he looked off. He wondered if he was sick because of this weekend? Nah, he'd done that before, with a chick, but he wasn't inexperienced. He couldn't have actually hurt him, could he? He worried on it a few minutes then discounted it. It wasn't like there had been that much blood when he threw out the condom. If it was his first time, it was to be expected. Right?

Class ended, and he watched as he gathered his things and took off without the barest glance in his direction. That was strange. He didn't like being easily dismissed.

"You must have been underwhelming," Renji said with a snort as they left the room. "I figured he'd at least say hi to you."

Grimmjow smacked the redhead on the shoulder and sighed. "He didn't look like he felt well."

"Did you fucking break him?" Edrad asked with a stifled laugh.

"Oi, don't start that. Don't want it getting around that Grimmjow loves them and leaves them in tatters, will tarnish his reputation," Yylfordt said as they walked down the hall. "Can't get a date if you're thought of as being too rough. Especially with a guy."

"It's just strange," Grimmjow said as he found his seat in the chemistry class. Renji was the only one of his crew that followed him all the way there. Yylfordt an Edrad both bid him good bye and took off to their next class.

At the end of class, he got out his phone and brought up his contact. It was in the listing as Strawberry Boy. He never put names in his phone just in case someone ever picked it up or saw when someone was calling. He licked his lips and texted him.

 _Hey. You left too quick after class for me to talk to you._

A few minutes passed and Grimmjow wondered if he was in class. Then his phone pinged. _I was just in a hurry. What did you want to talk to me about?_

Grimmjow frowned at the phone and wondered what he did want to talk to him about. _I thought I'd see if you were free this Saturday night._

There was a longer pause, and Grimmjow began to wonder if he was going to respond. _I have to work at my jobs on Saturday._

 _When are you free?_ He had no idea why he wanted to go out with him again. He supposed it was to see what was wrong with him.

Another long pause. _I'm free Sunday afternoon but I have to be at work by nine._

 _Why don't I pick you up around 2 and I'll bring something with me for your sisters again?_ He had a feeling he wouldn't be turned down if he made that offer again.

 _Okay._ Grimmjow stared at the simple reply and wondered at it. So now he had to figure out what to do with him on a Sunday afternoon…

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Ichigo put his phone away with his chest tightening. He wanted to go out again? So, he had done something right. Another weekend he wouldn't have to figure out how to feed the girls. He was going to get used to having someone else buy food for them if he wasn't careful. He felt his stomach lurch again as the day before ran through his head unbidden. He'd done what he had to do, but it didn't make it any easier to deal with. He'd gotten the extra day for the rent, and he'd even noticed the refrigerator was making a funny noise while he was there. He said he'd send maintenance to come look at it.

"Oh, excuse me," he said as he nearly ran over someone at the bus stop in his thinking.

The older man glared at him and Ichigo shrank away. He heard his phone go off in his pocket and pulled it out to see that it was his foster mother calling. He stepped away from the bus stop so as not to disturb the others waiting there.

"Hello," he answered.

"Where the hell are you?" she asked and Ichigo flinched at the tone to her voice.

"I'm just going to my work," he said, sighing.

"Your sisters have parent teacher conferences Thursday at six and seven. You going to be able to make them?" she asked and Ichigo's stomach dropped. He was going to have to call off at the convenience store for it.

"Yeah, I'll be there for them," he answered.

"Good, I don't have time to go to some stupid conference. They're doing well enough in school, make sure it stays that way." Her voice always grated on Ichigo's nerves.

"I have to go, the bus is coming in," he said as he saw the bus coming down the road.

"Whatever," came the response and the line cut off.

Ichigo swallowed a ball in his throat and hoped that the parent teacher conferences went well, and they didn't ask too much why Ichigo was there instead of their foster mother and father. He got to the convenience store just before his shift and settled in for the day. It was busy but not too much so. He ended up getting some reading done for class between customers. Then at eight, he bid the owner goodnight and headed to the last bus of the night. He caught it to go across town to the office building he worked at. There he would be busy all night until he got off at six am. Luckily, the buses ran that early so he could get back home.

Once he stumbled into the house at seven, he went and knocked on the door to the girls' bedroom to get them up for school. They both came out within a few minutes, dressed and ready for the day. Ichigo had fallen into the futon already to catch a few hours sleep before classes started. He set his alarm for noon. He had a one pm class on Tuesdays and that was all. Luckily, he didn't work at the convenience store that night, so he could come home for a few hours and sleep before going back to the office building job.

Thursday night came, and he went to the conferences for both he girls with the excuse their parents were working late that day and couldn't come. He found they were both doing well, and the coach of the soccer team said that Karin was good enough to advance to the next level, but it would mean more practices and games for her. Ichigo just smiled and said that would be fine. He couldn't tell this woman that his sister had to take the bus on her own to get to her school as it was. He thanked her, a woman named Yoruichi Shihōin. Yuzu was also doing well. Luckily, she wasn't into any extra curricular activities like Karin was. Though Ichigo made sure to tell her she could do anything she wanted to do outside of class.

Sunday morning, once more, he was getting the girls up for breakfast when there was a pounding on the door again. He snapped his head around and wondered what that could be. He went to the door and opened it finding Motome there, grinning at him. He swallowed nervously. "Y-yes?" he asked.

"The refrigerator has to be replaced that maintenance guy said. So, you going to be here Monday when they bring it?" he asked as he looked around into the room behind him.

"Yeah, I'm off on Monday during the day after class," he said with an attempt to hide the shudder that was trying to take him.

Motome gave him that smile that made his skin crawl again and spoke low enough the girls' couldn't hear it. "You'll owe me for this."

Ichigo's eyes widened and he swallowed dryly. Motome turned and left, leaving Ichigo with shaking hands. He shut the door and nearly jumped when Karin put her hand on his back.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"N-n-no, n-nothing. Just they're bringing a new refrigerator Monday," he said with an attempt to smile at her.

"That's good because the food isn't very cold in this one," Yuzu said as she got their instant noodle bowls ready for them.

"I'm going out with Grimmjow again today," he said suddenly. "I just wanted you to know where I was."

"Again?" Karin asked with a narrowed glance. "Why again?"

"H-he asked me to come out today, and he's bringing something for you girls again, so…" he started.

"Are you going with him because he buys us food, Ichigo?" she asked, her keen observation skills at work.

"N-no, I have fun with him, too," he said and felt his face heat up a little.

Karin stared at him for a while then went to eat her noodles. Ichigo had refused his, saying that he'd have some later. There was a tense morning where Karin stayed relatively angry at Ichigo and Yuzu went around and cleaned the apartment as much as she could. Ichigo heard his phone go off and he went to check his messages.

 _I picked up Thai food, I hope they like it._

Ichigo smiled. _That sounds wonderful. Thank you so much._

"Anaki, is your friend almost here?" Yuzu asked as she came out of the bedroom.

"Yeah, he's bringing some Thai food for you guys."

Yuzu's eyes lit up. "Oh, that's great!" she said as she grinned.

Ichigo did this for the light in her eyes. There wasn't a lot to set off that spark in their daily lives, but a treat like a special meal went far toward them feeling like normal kids. He just wanted them to have the childhood he'd missed by living with their foster family. He'd never gotten to do soccer or stay after school for clubs, but he was going to make sure the girls both could. He ruffled Yuzu's hair and smiled at her.

He was startled again by the knock at the door, jerking and gasping at the sound. Karin turned and glared at him when he did it and he got up to open the door. Grimmjow smiled and held up a bag with takeout containers in it.

"As promised," he said with a grin.

Ichigo nodded, taking the bag and handing it behind him to Karin. Karin was glaring at Grimmjow. Ichigo looked at him and smiled.

"I was about ready, I just wanted to change my shirt really fast," he said as he was in the shirt he wore to work the day before.

As he disappeared into the bedroom, Karin continued to glare at Grimmjow until he finally said something. "Uh, is there something wrong, kid?" he asked.

"Yeah, you're taking out our brother and bringing him back late," she said. "You better not hurt him."

"Okay," Ichigo said as he came out, wearing a simple black shirt now with his jeans. "I'm ready."

Grimmjow glanced at Karin before leaving with Ichigo on his heels. He took him to the car again. Ichigo was still impressed by his car. It was just so nice and clean, nothing like any of the busses he rode in.

"What did you want to do today?" Grimmjow said as he pulled out of the building's driveway.

"Oh, whatever you wanted to do, I have no preference," Ichigo said, looking at him nervously. How did one act after sleeping with someone on a date? He had no idea.

"Hmm," Grimmjow said. "I know a tea place. What do you say?"

"A tea place?" Ichigo asked and nodded. "I've never been to a tea place." He had no idea what he meant by "tea place" either, but he didn't say anything.

Grimmjow grinned and headed toward the location he had in mind. He didn't know how well Ichigo would like it, but he thought it would be a good second date. He was looking forward to showing off a little for him since he seemed to have so little. Showing him the finer points of life had to be an experience for him.

He pulled into the place and let Ichigo out of the car. He put his hand at the base of Ichigo's spine and steered him toward the door. He went surprisingly easily, being easy to manipulate, both physically and mentally. Once inside, they were seated at a table with two seats and asked what tea they would like. Grimmjow ordered his, a Chai green, and noticed that Ichigo seemed frozen by the question.

"Bring him a Chai green as well," he said as he smiled at the pretty waitress.

"Very good, sirs," she said and went to get their tea.

Ichigo was looking around at the place like he'd never seen anything like it before. He smiled to himself, finding it endlessly amusing to show him the finer things he didn't know about. The waitress brought back their tea in very elegant teacups. Ichigo stared at his like it was the most fragile thing in the world.

"You'll want some honey or something in your tea," Grimmjow said as he used the honey pot to put some into his tea.

"Oh, oh yeah," he said and did the same thing that Grimmjow had done with the honey. He smiled at it. It was kind of adorable to watch him mimic what Grimmjow was doing.

"Have you ever had a high tea?" Grimmjow asked as they sat there quietly.

"Uh, no, can't say that I have," Ichigo said with a slight smile.

The waitress came back and with the hors d'oeuvre cart and set a small plate for each of them. She then asked them what they each wanted from the cart. Grimmjow picked out his and saw that Ichigo seemed to not know what to choose here either, so he had her give him the same thing. He nervously ate the small offerings and sat quietly.

"Your sisters will enjoy having something different for lunch or dinner today, right?" Grimmjow asked, knowing that the way to get him to talk was to bring up his sisters.

"Oh, yes, they'll enjoy it very much. I haven't been able to get them anything like that in a while," he said. "I work two jobs most days, but today I only have the one at nine," he said as he ate the hors d'oeuvres.

The waitress came around a little while later with the desert cart and brought them fresh tea. "How is the tea?" Grimmjow asked as she poured his full.

"Oh, it is very nice," he said with a forced looking smile. Grimmjow wondered if he was really enjoying himself at this place, or if it was too much.

He looked at him and grinned. "After this, we can go back to my place and relax. My parents are out of the house today as well."

Ichigo nodded, taking a bite of the piece of cake they had been given. He smiled, looking at Grimmjow with wide eyes. "This is amazing!" he said quietly. Grimmjow smiled watching him eat the chocolate cake piece with an almost orgasmic look on his face. He wondered if he could make him have that kind of face for him. He shook away that thought, why did he care what kind of face he made, so long as he was satisfied? He cleared his throat, though. Why was his mind going there at this moment?

Once the deserts had been eaten, Grimmjow knew he was still hungry, and he imagined that Ichigo had to be as well, even if he did eat a whole piece of cake to himself. As they left, Grimmjow saw a street vendor.

"Hey, you want to get something from him? I could still eat more," Grimmjow asked as he led him toward the vendor.

"Sure," Ichigo said, letting Grimmjow steer him toward the street vendor. He was selling Gyros. They both got one and ate it quickly. Ichigo seemed more into this than he had the tea place, Grimmjow noticed. He supposed it was simpler. But he still was anticipating getting him back to his house again.

Grimmjow drove them back to his house, and even though he'd been here before, Ichigo just stared at everything like it was new. He couldn't help but find it amusing. He grabbed a bottle of wine again, a nice sweet red. He hooked two glasses and took him back to the living room again. He looked nervous again, even though they'd already slept together. He poured a glass of wine for each of them and handed him one.

"Thank you," Ichigo said and sipped the wine carefully.

Grimmjow smirked and sipped his own. "You're not used to stuff like wine and tea, are you?"

Ichigo looked at him and shook his head. "I'm not used to this at all," he said as he gingerly sipped the wine again.

"Your face turns red easily when you drink wine," Grimmjow observed as Ichigo took a larger sip of the wine.

"I-I shouldn't drink much since I have to work tonight," he said as he sat the glass down on the coffee table.

"Well, we didn't come back here specifically for the wine," Grimmjow said as he reached out and caressed Ichigo's face gently. "I admit to wanting to hold you again."

Grimmjow saw him flush red and he smirked, leaning in and pressing his lips to Ichigo's. He gasped, opening his mouth and giving Grimmjow the chance to slip his tongue between his lips. He leaned in, exploring his mouth with slow strokes of his tongue and felt him trying to breath around him.

"You're not very good at this," Grimmjow muttered against his lips before he leaned forward and resumed kissing him with fervor.

Grimmjow slipped his hand down the front of Ichigo's jeans and found him aroused by something. He leaned back and sighed at him. "All that from a little kissing?" he said with an amused smirk.

"I've never…never done that…" Ichigo stammered, face reddening significantly.

"It was your first time last time, wasn't it?" Grimmjow asked as he caressed his face again. "You should have told me. Do you want to do that again?"

Ichigo licked his lips and looked at him. "I-I want to do whatever you want to do," he said, quietly watching Grimmjow with those brown eyes.

"Hmm, well, I want to see your face in ecstasy again," he said as he pressed his thumb into Ichigo's mouth.

Ichigo turned into the touch, sucking on his thumb lightly. Grimmjow pressed his thumb deeper into his mouth and watched intently as his tongue wrapped around him. He smirked and pulled his hand away, leaning in to kiss him again. He seemed to enjoy that, he noted, wondering why he had a need to do something like kiss him like this. It wasn't necessary, but he was enjoying it as well. Ichigo was obviously inexperienced, but he was quick to pick things up.

Grimmjow pulled at his shirt, pulling back to yank the t-shirt over his head. This time, he was taking his time with this and ran his hands down his chest and ribs, finding that he could easily see all of his ribs. He frowned at that, wondering how often he ate. He shook the thought away for the moment. He was getting distracted. He brought him back here to get a quick fuck in before his parents got home later on. He wasn't getting entangled in his life at all.

He pinched at his nipples, leaning down to suck on the dusky pink of them. He felt him jolt and gasp out. Grimmjow smiled, reaching down and pulling at the button on his jeans. He noticed as he fumbled it open that his pants were loose around his waist, almost enough that Grimmjow thought he might be able to pull them off his hips without undoing them. He slipped his hands down the back of his pants and squeezed him, finding his body was responding to him. He leaned back and pushed the jeans down his hips, taking a moment to notice that he was trembling just a little bit. He zipped the pats the rest of the way off his legs and licked his lips. He went back in for another kiss, enjoying the tangling of tongues as Ichigo managed to match him.

He leaned back, and then hummed. "Turn over," he said with a smile.

Ichigo looked a bit confused, but did as he was asked, turning over so that he was kneeling on the sofa and leaning on the back. Grimmjow hummed and grabbed him by the hips, pulling him to lay on his stomach over the sofa. He reached down and slid a finger down the crease of his body to find his way to his entrance. Without warning, he pressed two fingers into him, hearing him make a choked sound.

"Hmm, okay?" he asked as he began working his fingers in him, taking a little more time and care with it this time. He heard a mumbled response that sounded affirmative so he twisted his fingers searching for it…ah, there, he thought as he felt him clench around him. "You're very responsive today, were you anticipating doing this again?"

Ichigo moaned as his fingers rubbed that spongy spot, feeling him quiver from the stimulation. He wanted to see if he could make him go over without touching him in the front. Grimmjow then pulled his fingers out, thinking he was at his limit. He reached in his pocket and pulled out the condom and tore it open with his teeth before sliding it on his straining arousal. He felt the body under him twitching and he smiled to himself. He was so easy to mess up. He lined himself up, sliding into him. He was glad the condoms he got were lubricated enough to make this easy. He knew that ideally, if he was going for the most comfortable he would use extra lube, but he didn't have time for that. It was just one more messy step. The condom was lubricated enough.

He felt him clench tightly to him as he entered him with a soft groan. It was so tight that it was nearly maddening to feel. He held onto his hips and felt him shudder under his hands. He slid back and then slammed forward, getting a sound out of him of some sort. He smirked as he began sliding in and out of him at a medium pace. He didn't touch him at all, and his hands were clenched in the sofa's back. By the way he was responding, he seemed to be feeling good. He leaned over him and started to suck on the back of his neck, just under the hairline and given a few moments, he leaned back and smirked at the mark he'd left on him. He wouldn't see it, but everyone else would. Last time he hadn't marked him at all. Well, this time, he was going to leave him with more than memories.

He felt him start to tense and moan as he slammed into his prostate repeatedly from the angle he was at. It wasn't long before he heard him gasp out and felt his body clench down on him. He smirked, proud of having made him come without touching him in the least. He tightened his grip on his hips, slamming into him with more fervor until he found his own end surging up from the arches of his feet to the top of his head. He slowly thrust inside him for a few more times before pulling back, finding him panting and clinging to the cushion of the sofa.

He stood up and went to the bathroom, stripping off the condom and tossing it in the trash, wadded in some toilet paper. He then grabbed a hand towel and went back to find Ichigo was sitting on the floor now, looking hazy. He smirked and helped him clean up before he handed him his jeans back.

"You don't have to be at work until nine, right?" he asked as he watched Ichigo slip back into his t-shirt.

"Yeah, nine at an office building," Ichigo said, still looking red faced.

"Well, we've got some time, how about we watch a movie?" he asked. "I can take you to work so you don't have to catch the bus," he said with a grin.

Ichigo swallowed and nodded. "Um, sure, that sounds nice," he said with a soft smile.

Grimmjow set up the TV and put in a blu-ray for a random movie in their collection, then he sat down beside Ichigo on the sofa where he now sat. Ichigo seemed to not know what to do with himself, so Grimmjow reached out and pulled him into his chest to lean him against him. He heard him gasp a little, but soon he'd settled into the hollow of his shoulder, and halfway through the movie, Grimmjow realized that he'd fallen asleep. He smiled and ran a hand over his hair.

What was this feeling? He normally didn't start to get this attached to his conquests. What was going on that he found himself worrying over him and wanting to offer him comfort? He sat there until it was almost 8:30, just letting him sleep on him. He didn't want to wake him but he had to. Why was he _feeling_ so much?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Offers and Family

Ichigo stepped off the bus and headed to the apartment once he got off work the next morning. It was Monday, so he couldn't sleep before class today. He had early classes, so he had to get the girls and himself ready and on the first bus that came by at eight. He hated when he had to work overnight on Sunday because it was always so tiring. Usually, he would have slept on Sunday while he was off from the convenience store, but he'd gone with Grimmjow again. He had gotten sleep, though, a couple hours when he'd fallen asleep during the movie. He'd been mortified that he'd fallen asleep but Grimmjow had said it was fine. He'd taken him to work as he promised.

He got to the door to see a note stuck to it. He wondered what fresh hell was this? He opened it to see it was just a notice that they would be coming at two pm to change out the refrigerator and to have the old one empty by then. Now that wouldn't be a problem because there wasn't much in there to start with. He swallowed thickly though because of what Motome had said. _You'll owe me._ Would he expect him to do _that_ again? He shivered at the thought and opened the door. He'd do what he had to do even if it was dirty and disgusting. After all, he was doing worse for less with Grimmjow.

"Girls, time to get up," he said as he pounded on the bedroom door. "I have to change before class, so please hurry," he added, knowing he couldn't turn up in the same clothes he went out in last night. Grimmjow would see him in Professor Ukitake's psych class this morning. He felt a little bit of swelling in his chest because he was already looking forward to seeing him there. But it wasn't like he could talk to him.

The girls came out, ready for school and he went in to change to a new t-shirt. He guessed the jeans would be fine, though. There wasn't time for breakfast at home, so the girls would have to eat at school. They all got to the bus stop and waited for the bus.

"Did you have fun yesterday with Grimmjow?" Yuzu asked with a grin. "What did you do?"

Ichigo felt his face warm a little, but he was glad they were out in the bright sunlight. "Oh, we went to a tea service and watched a movie at his house."

"What's that?" Karin asked suddenly, glaring at him.

"What's what?" Ichigo asked, confused.

"On your neck, there's a red mark," she said and pointed to the back of his neck. Ichigo gasped and put his hand there.

"I must have scratched myself," he answered, knowing exactly what that was.

Dammit, he didn't expect him to actually mark him. He hadn't the first time. Then again, there was no kissing the first time. What had changed, he wondered, between the first time and last night? He swallowed and saw that Karin was looking at him with narrowed eyes. He knew that she didn't believe him for a second. He nervously crossed his arms over his chest and tried to ignore her stare.

"Ichigo, if you're just going with him because he buys us food, you should stop," Karin said, sighing as she said it. "We're fine with the ramen bowls."

Ichigo knew she was too smart for her own good. "No, I have a nice time too. I never used to get to go out and do anything before we moved out, so it's been kinda neat to go places I've never been."

She still stared at him as the bus pulled in. He swallowed a ball at his throat. He wasn't really lying; he did enjoy the outings. Even the sex was nice in a way even if he'd never thought he'd be exchanging himself for something like take out. He wondered what sort of person that made him?

He watched them get off at school and leaned against the wall of the bus. It was all so confusing. He liked Grimmjow, but he also knew that their relationship was nothing more than sex for him. That was the kind of guy he was, and Ichigo knew it to start with. The question he had, though, was why he continued to want to see him? It wasn't like he had much to offer in the way of experience. He couldn't be that much fun to sleep with for someone like Grimmjow. He wondered if he'd ask him out again? He shook the thought away. That was ridiculous. Twice had been a miracle, three times would be something that would never happen. He wouldn't be surprised if by the time he got to school today he had another girl (or guy apparently) on his arm.

The bus stopped near the school and he found his way to Ukitake's class. The white haired and quite gentle professor was talking with another student. Grimmjow and Renji weren't there yet. He breathed a sigh of relief as he sat down. He had managed to get out of class before him last week each day. Still, thinking about Renji brought back memories. He'd burned that bridge pretty thoroughly. Renji had been the type that wanted to help all the time. In the end, he'd almost ended up getting into a physical fight with him. He had to do it though. He had to make sure no one who knew his circumstances found out about his sisters, and Renji knew too much about him.

A sudden thought ran through his mind. What if Grimmjow told Renji about his sisters living alone with him? Would Renji say something to his parents or anyone? Lately, he'd see him with a black haired girl that was really short, so he was dating someone. What if they found out? He had to tell Grimmjow that he couldn't talk to Renji about his sisters after class. He looked up as he heard Grimmjow and Renji come into the room right as the professor was about to start the class.

As class ended he felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out and saw it was Grimmjow. He blinked.

 _Don't run off today. I wanted to talk to you._

Ichigo swallowed and figured this was the "I'm not seeing you again" talk. He'd honestly been prepared for it since last week. He'd been surprised when he took him out a second time. He looked over to see him staring directly at him. He swallowed and licked his lips nervously. Renji was talking to him right now. He felt his heart hammering in his ears but just as he'd screwed his courage up to face him beside Renji, Renji turned and clapped him on the back and left. Ichigo let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding as he came over toward him.

"Hey," Grimmjow said with a smile. If this was being dumped, he was dumping him easy.

"Hey," Ichigo said and smiled back to him. He pushed his hair behind his ears, realizing suddenly that he needed to get it cut soon. He had no idea how he was going to have the money for that.

"I had a lot of fun yesterday, was wondering if you had any time this coming weekend?" he asked and stared at him with those blue eyes that made his heart do little flips in his chest.

"Um, I'm kinda busy with my two jobs," he said. "B-but if my schedule changes, I can message you," he said, and he felt his face heating up again. Oh gods, he didn't need to be blushing right now in front of him. He did that enough when they were sleeping together.

"Oh, okay, well, just let me know," he said and put a gentle hand on his hip and squeezed.

Ichigo nearly jumped at the sudden public display, even if it was subtle. He nodded and watched as Grimmjow left the room. Was this real? He'd asked him again and because of work he had to say no.

"What do you have to do with Grimmjow?" a girl's voice came from beside him. He blinked and glanced down at a girl from their class. She was shorter with dyed purple hair in pigtails and small, narrow features to her face. Her dark eyes were set in an expression Ichigo didn't understand.

"What do you mean?" he asked, not sure what to say to that. He didn't even know if people knew that Grimmjow dated guys as well as girls.

"You're not his type," she said with a frown. "And even if he did take you out, it would be out of pity for someone as poor as you."

Ichigo swallowed. "It's not like that…" he started to say.

"You just want him because he has money. You're no better than all the girls he takes to bed. They all think they're special, and now you think you're special because he's taken you out. Don't deny it, I saw the way he touched you. And the mark on your neck couldn't be more obvious."

"But he hasn't…I'm not-" he tried to get in as he put his hand over the back of his neck.

"Stay away from him." She turned and stormed out of the room, leaving Ichigo staring after her.

Ichigo flinched when someone else put a hand on his arm. He turned to see another student from the class, a girl with blonde hair in a high ponytail. She smiled at him.

"Don't mind her, she's just jealous. It got around that Grimmjow was seeing a boy this time and she got mad. She never got over being dumped by him last year," she said.

"But I'm not… He's not…" he stammered, not sure what to say. He looked around him and then back at her.

"You don't have to be embarrassed," she said and gave him a gentle smile. "It's okay, it is." She turned and walked out of the room, leaving Ichigo confused and worried.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Grimmjow didn't know why he was so interested in him. He just was. So, as he sat in Urahara's class, his mind kept wandering.

"You still got a thing for him, huh?" Renji said from beside him. "I'm surprised he hasn't done something to piss you off yet."

He looked at Renji and sighed. "Why are you so angry still at him?"

Renji started to say something, then closed his mouth. He glanced behind them to see that Edrad and Yylfordt were occupied. "I guess because we'd been friends for so long. I met him in the orphanage right after his dad dropped them there and took off. I knew him for years and then suddenly he wants nothing to do with me. He said he couldn't have friends like me, and then just ignored me from then on. I tried to talk to him a few times, but he pushed me away."

Grimmjow nodded. "Well, something's going on with him. He works all the time, and he seems like he's stressed out quite a bit."

Renji was quiet for a few minutes and then looked at him. "I guess I kinda felt like he was cutting off all his ties when we got out of school. Like suddenly, we weren't good enough for him anymore."

"I dunno why he would do that," he said as he sighed. He heard his phone ping and he pulled it out. A message from Ichigo.

 _Can I ask that you not tell Renji about my sisters living with me?_

 _Why's that?_ Not like he could go back and undo that.

 _Just there are reasons._ Grimmjow thought about it. Something was going on with that.

 _Sure, I don't have to tell him everything._

"Yo, Renji," he said as he put away the phone. "I think it has something to do with his sisters. He asked me not to tell you they lived with him."

Renji frowned. "Why would it matter if I know about it?"

"I don't know," Grimmjow said but he was curious now. "I asked him out again. He said he was busy with his two jobs."

"See, he's gonna suddenly not be available when you ask him, that's how it started with me," Renji said as class ended.

As they were walking down the hallway, he saw one of his exes coming toward him. He groaned and hoped she passed him by. She didn't.

"Grimmjow," she said as she grabbed to his arm. "Please, you know we were good together."

"Anne," he said with a sigh. "Look, it was just a one time thing. I'm seeing other people now."

"That boy?" she said with a sour look on her face, her purple pig tails bouncing. "Why are you with him over someone like me? Since when do you date guys anyway?"

Grimmjow sighed and shook her off his arm. "I always have, just haven't done it since I've been in school here. What's it matter to you?"

"I'm better for you!" she exclaimed.

"Anne, just leave it," he said. "I told you when we went out that I wasn't into relationships for the long term. We had fun, but I don't ever date someone I've dated before."

She looked at him with her dark eyes and then turned and ran toward the bathroom. Grimmjow cold hear her sobbing. Her friend went running after her and Grimmjow sighed.

"Who knew I'd upset them because I went with a guy for a change?" he muttered.

Renji snickered beside him. "What you get for sleeping with everyone you come across that catches your eyes. I'm good with one girl."

Grimmjow nodded. "I can see how sticking with one person would be good in the long term. Less drama," he said with a glance at Renji. "How are things with the midget girl?"

"Good, actually going to meet her brother tonight. Some big party at their place, so I had to rent a suit and everything."

"You in a suit?" Grimmjow said with an arched brow. "This I gotta see."

"What are ya gonna do about Ichigo?" Renji said as they got outside. The air was turning crisp as autumn was giving way to early winter. Grimmjow straightened his coat and walked toward his car.

"Well, I'm not done with him, so I'll take him out again. No drama like with the girls. He's easy to impress," he said as he got into his car with Renji getting in on the other side.

"Maybe. Unless he ghosts you."

"Nah, won't happen. I know how to manipulate him already. Just buy him dinner, feed his sisters, and he'll do anything I want. He's not as picky as most the girls, and no whining and clinging to me," Grimmjow said but even as he said it, he felt a pang. That feeling again was welling up when he thought about him. "Besides, it's fun seeing how the girls react to being shoved aside for a guy."

Renji snorted. "Leave it to you to have fun because of that," he said as they pulled into his house. He got out and leaned into the window. "Well, good luck. At least you get laid out of it."

"Yeah, well, good luck with your girl tonight," Grimmjow said as he waved at him.

Renji got up and left to his house, waving. Grimmjow sat in the car for a while and thought he'd go over and see if Ichigo was home.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Karin sat on the field and thought about what was going on with her brother. She knew he was going out with that Grimmjow guy because he was buying them food. He said that he had fun going out, so if that was true, she couldn't say anything about it. But she couldn't imagine her brother casually hooking up with some random guy.

"Kurosaki, what's up with you today?" Coach Shihōin said as she walked up to her. "You've flubbed all your goals."

"Just worried about my brother," she said with a sigh.

"Why's that?" she asked and sat down beside her on the grass. It was almost too cold to practice outside.

"I think he's going out with someone for the wrong reasons," she said and looked up at the darker skinned woman.

"What's your parents think about it?" she asked.

Karin swallowed hard and shook her head. "They don't care what he does since he's in college now."

 _Don't tell them you aren't living with our foster parents._ The one thing she couldn't tell her coach was the fact they were living with Ichigo. They had to pretend to be with that awful woman and her husband.

"Well, what makes you think he's going out with this person for the wrong reasons?" the coach asked.

"He's kinda an asshole. Rich boy, from the look, has a flashy car and everything," she said, wondering how her coach was going to react to hearing that her brother was going out with a guy.

She was quiet for a minute and then she put an arm around her. "Well, your brother has to make his own choices. You can't make them for him. There might be something he sees that you can't."

Karin knew she wouldn't understand unless she told her the whole truth of it. But she couldn't do that. The last thing she wanted to do was go back to that house with that insane woman.

At first, when they had been fostered by Bambietta Basterbine and Cang Du, things had been fine. They were only six years old and their brother was ten. They had other foster kids that were older than them, and they seemed like nice enough people. Then, slowly, Bambietta became angry all the time. Her attitude toward the younger children turned sour and they began to be treated as a nuisance. As soon as the three Kurosakis were the only ones left in the household, things started turning bad for them. Cang was of no opinion on the children at all and stayed out of Bambietta's rages.

Ichigo caught the worst of her ire. For some reason, she hated him with a passion. For years, he would hide the marks she left on him. All through middle and high school, he endured it, making excuses for random injuries that he had to his teachers. Then, she turned on Karin and Yuzu, and Ichigo couldn't stop it anymore. So, that was when he said they were all going to leave and live somewhere else together.

Ichigo was eighteen and could rent a place, and he found one that wouldn't ask questions. He got jobs, and then one day, he took the girls with him on the bus and never brought them home. Bambietta had called him, yelling at him, but he told her that he'd take care of them from now on. She hadn't cared, but because they were foster kids, they had to pretend they still lived there. That was the hardest part of the whole situation, keeping up the lie. Some days it was harder than others, and honestly, she was amazed that Yuzu hadn't let it slip yet.

"I guess you're right," she said and stood up. "He's old enough to make his own choices. But I swear, I'll kill that guy if he hurts him."

The coach stood up and ruffled her hair. "Your brother is lucky to have a sister that cares about him so much," she said and walked toward the school.

Karin waited a minute and collected her thoughts. Four months and they were struggling to buy instant ramen bowls. Ichigo was working so hard that he barely slept. She wondered how long he could keep it up. Then this thing with Grimmjow. She frowned and wondered what she should do. Then, she swore there was something going on with their landlord because when he came by, Ichigo always got jumpy. She hated not knowing what was going on.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Ichigo got home in time to empty out the fridge so the new one could be brought in. He hoped that the landlord didn't come with them, but he feared he would. He had said he would owe him… He shivered as he remembered what he'd done last week. He'd never thought he'd do something so degrading just to get a day on the rent. He shook it away as there was a knock at the door. He sighed and opened it to see the maintenance man with a refrigerator on a dolly.

"Came to replace the fridge," he said as Ichigo let him in.

Ichigo didn't see the landlord, and he was glad of that. He watched as the maintenance man swapped out the refrigerators. As soon as he was gone, he put everything in the new fridge. He shut it and sighed. It was the only new thing in the place and it looked desperately out of place. He was about to lie down when the there was another knock at the door. Now what? He went to the door and opened it to find the landlord standing there again.

"I came to make sure the refrigerator got here," he said.

"Yes, it did, sir," he told him.

"You still hurting for money?" he asked with that sly smile again.

Ichigo swallowed and nodded. "I'm looking for better jobs."

"Well, I know a way you could make some quick cash, if you wanted to do something for it," Motome said and crossed his arms over his chest.

"What is it?" he asked, heart starting to pound. What sort of job would he know about?

"Well, see, I know some people that would pay for…services."

"Services?" Ichigo asked with wide eyes. "Look, I-I don't do that!"

"A shame, because you were good for an amateur. Many straight men will pay a pretty penny for one night with a fit boy toy," Motome smirked again. "Ever change your mind, just let me know. I can hook you up with the right people. Now, as for what you owe me…"

Ichigo's eyes went wide and he swallowed. "My sisters will be home soon," he said desperately.

"Too bad. I'll take my payment when I want it," he said and turned to leave. "Good day."

Ichigo closed the door and panted with his back against it for a minute. He just offered to help him sell himself? He shook his head. He wouldn't sink that low. He knew that people in his situation often did things like that, but he wasn't going to do that. There was no way. It was bad enough he was doing what he was doing to keep them in their place. He was still standing there when there was another knock at the door. He took a breath and wondered who this was now? He feared the landlord had decided to come back.

They knocked again and Ichigo slowly opened the door again. He was relieved when he saw it was Grimmjow.

"Ah, Grimmjow, it's you," he said with a sigh.

"You were expecting someone else?" he asked as he looked at him.

"Um, no, just wasn't expecting anyone. Wha-what did you want?" he asked with a shaking voice. He couldn't keep the anxiety out of his voice right now after the encounter with Motome.

"Just came by to see how you were," he said and crossed his arms over his chest.

Ichigo didn't know what to do. "Uh, well, come in for a little bit, I don't really have anything to offer you to drink," he stammered.

"That's fine, just wanted to see how you were. You seemed a little off earlier," he said as he looked around.

"I-I am fine," he said and tried to smile, and hide his shaking hands.

He jerked when his phone went off in his pocket. He looked and saw it was the convenience store. "I have to answer it," he said with a smile to Grimmjow. Maybe they were calling him in for an extra shift since he hadn't had a lot of hours lately.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Ichigo, hey, it's Ito Tsuboike from the store," came the woman's voice. It was the owner's wife.

"Hi, what did you need?" he asked, looking up to see Grimmjow staring at him.

"Look, I hate to do this, but we're laying off all our part timers. The store just isn't doing as well as it once was, and we can't afford to keep on the extra people," she said with a sad tone to her voice.

"What?" was all he could manage.

"I'm sorry, it is nothing against you or your work, and I'll provide a reference for you if you need it," she said slowly.

"Oh, okay," he said, still too stunned to say anything else.

"You can pick up your last paycheck tomorrow," she said. "Thank you for your hard work for us."

The line went dead and Ichigo just stood there for a minute with a pained look on his face until Grimmjow put a hand on his shoulder, startling him. "What was that? You look about six shades paler."

"I-I j-just got laid off…" he said and numbly put the phone back in his pocket.

"At that office building?" Grimmjow asked.

"No, the convenience store I worked at. They're having financial difficulty, so they laid off all the part timers…" he sighed and swallowed. Now what was he going to do?

The door opened and Ichigo knew it was the girls coming home from school. He put on his best smile for them. "Hey girls."

"Anaki," Yuzu said as she came in, then she saw Grimmjow. "Oh, Anaki, your friend came by! Are you going out again tonight?"

Ichigo looked at Grimmjow and then at Karin who was coming in the door next. She glared at Grimmjow immediately. "Why's he here?" she growled.

"He, uh, stopped by, that's all," Ichigo said as he continued to smile for them.

"I wanted to ask your brother to come with me to have dinner again, but he was so busy I decided just to stop by," Grimmjow said, and Karin still glared at him.

Ichigo felt his face heat a little. "Yeah, this week is a bit busy," he said and felt his stomach clench.

"Can I get you some tea?" Yuzu asked as she went into their small kitchen. "I think I have at least three cups, and there's some tea bags left…" she said.

"Yuzu!" Karin snapped, turning her gaze on her now.

"Oh, no, that's okay," Grimmjow said with a chuckle. "I've got to be going. My sister is coming over for dinner with my family tonight."

Ichigo swallowed nervously and looked at him. "I'll walk you out."

He grabbed Grimmjow by the wrist and pulled him toward the door. He let go of his arm once they were at his car and he turned and smiled at him.

"Ah, thank you for not saying anything about the job thing in front of them," Ichigo told him.

"I actually came over to find out why you're so worried about Renji finding out your sisters live with you? He says you used to be friends, but you cut off everyone." Grimmjow had a look on his face that was serious.

Ichigo ran a trembling hand over his head. "Look, my sisters—they're supposed to be living with our foster parents. B-but it wasn't a good place."

Grimmjow blinked at him. "And this is better?"

Ichigo crossed his arms over his chest. "Better than being beaten and kept in the house other than school," he muttered. "Look, I'm doing the best I can!"

"What are you going to do without your second job?" Grimmjow asked.

"I'll find another one," he said with a glare at him. "I found that one, I'll find another one," he said with a soft sigh.

Grimmjow put a hand against Ichigo's cheek, causing him to look up at him. "You need to get some help with this."

"I don't need any help!" he said and stepped back. "I'll do just fine on my own."

"But you aren't on your own, you've got your two sisters to think of," Grimmjow told him as he leaned against the side of the car.

"I'll take care of them. I promised them I would, and I will," he said, growing more irritated with Grimmjow's attempted interference.

He sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm just trying to see what is happening."

"I'm fine," Ichigo stated flatly. "I'll find another job, and I'll be able to take care of the girls. So, just stay out of it. You aren't a part of my family."

Grimmjow blinked and nodded. "I understand. I'll be going then," he said and opened the door to his car.

Ichigo watched him leave and tried to calm himself down. He had to find another job but the next day would be the first chance he had to go looking. It was too late in the day to start looking for jobs now. He swallowed thickly and went back into the apartment.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Grimmjow was suddenly angry and he didn't understand why. Why should he care what he had to say? Why should it be so irritating that he said he wasn't a part of his family? It wasn't like the guy was anything more than a convenient lay. He was easy to get into bed. That was the only reason he was still attached to him. He was easy and convenient. That was _it._

He pulled into the driveway of the house and saw his sister's car there beside his step father's car. He sighed and parked beside Nel's little corvette. He got out and slammed the door on the powder blue car and growled under his breath. Why was he so upset?

He came into the entry and saw that Nel was already in the living room sitting on the sectional. He went in and put both hands on her shoulders and squeezed.

"Grimm, there you are," she said as she looked up at him. "Where have you been? You've been out of school for an hour already."

"Just visiting a friend," he said and tried to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

"Oh, that's nice," she said as she stood up. "I think the parents are in the kitchen getting dinner ready," she said and took him by the hand.

"Okay," he said and followed her into the kitchen to find their mother and step-father.

Technically, neither of them were the biological children of their parents. Both Nel and Grimmjow had been adopted close to birth by Tier Hallibel. When Tier's husband died when Nel and Grimmjow were young, she ended up marrying a man named Sōsuke Aizen. Grimmjow and Nel had both kept their last names from before the adoption.

"Well, you're home late, I expected you sooner," Sōsuke said with a smile for him. Grimmjow and Sōsuke had always gotten along with each other pretty well since he was a kid.

"Just stopped at a friend's house on the way," he muttered as he watched Tier finish making dinner.

Before long, they were all seated around the dining room table having a nice dinner. Nel talked about her job as a social worker most the evening. Finally, the conversation came around to Grimmjow.

"So, what friend did you visit?" Tier asked as she poured another glass of wine for herself.

Grimmjow started a little. "Um, a new friend, a kid from school."

"What's his name?" Nel asked as she smiled at him.

"Ichigo Kurosaki," he answered and felt a slight blush rise to his cheeks. Why was he getting embarrassed by this talk?

"Itsygo?" Nel repeated, then covered her mouth. Every now and then she had a speech impediment leftover from her childhood. It was mostly gone but now and then there were words that just would not come out right.

Grimmjow smiled, sipping his wine glass thoughtfully. "Yeah, he's just a new friend I made a couple weeks ago." He grew quiet and contemplated the glass for a few moments.

"Something bothers you," Tier observed. "What is it?"

Grimmjow looked up at her and then over at Sōsuke and Nel. He swallowed and bit his lip for a second. "I don't know. He's not well off. He lives in a horrible apartment that I'm surprised anyone would live in, and he has two sisters he's taking care of. While I was there today, he got laid off from one of his jobs."

"Oh, that's not good. Though he must be a good friend for you to visit him at his home," Sōsuke said with a calm look to his face.

The rest of dinner went on without much discussion into Grimmjow's life. He went to walk his sister out to her car and she turned on him once they were outside.

"Out with it, what's really going on? Are you seeing this guy?" she asked as she crossed her arms over her ample bosom.

Grimmjow sighed, never able to hold anything back from her. She knew that he dated both men and women. Granted, so did his parents, but she had always talked more with him about relationships than anyone else. "Yeah, yeah," he mumbled. "I am."

"What is it that's got you so bothered, then?" she asked, leaning against her green car.

"Just some stuff he said about his sisters living with him because their home was abusive." He looked at her with a wan smile. "I don't know why I'm getting involved with his problems. It shouldn't concern me."

Nel sighed and shook her head at him. Around them, the air was beginning to grow colder as night set in. "You're still sleeping around like that? When are you going to get into a real relationship and stop playing like this?"

"I don't know," he said and glanced at her. "I don't know how to handle this one because I... Can't believe I'm saying this, but I feel bad for just taking him out to sleep with him. That's why I went over there today, and I just realized how tough his life is for him. I tried to offer him some help and he got angry."

Nel shook her head. "Oh, Grimm, you might finally be able to change your ways," she said gently. "Feeling things are good, you know. Especially when it is about another person you like."

"Like?" he said with a frown. Did he really like him? Like _like_ him? Was that why he was feeling this way? Was that why he was starting to want to spend more time with him, just having fun, and not just having sex?


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Twisting and Turning

"We're not looking for anyone at this time."

"You just don't have the qualifications we're looking for."

"We're still doing interviews; we'll get back to you soon."

"I'm sorry, we're not hiring, the economy and all."

"Maybe try a temp service?"

"You just don't seem to be a right fit for us."

"Not right now."

It was nearly three in the afternoon and Ichigo was already defeated. His job search had yielded nothing at all except a lot of negative answers. Even the temp agency had been a wash. They'd put his name on a list to call back if they got any new positions. He'd tried other convenience stores, offices looking for clerical staff, and more. Still, now as he sat at the bus stop, he felt like he was never going to find another job. He'd even skipped class today just to hunt for a job, and it hadn't panned out at all. He had no idea what he was going to do if he didn't find a job by the end of the week.

He looked up as the bus pulled in to the stop with a sigh. He didn't know what he was going to do at all. He thought about the day before and his hand went to his face. Grimmjow had never touched him like that before. It had been so gentle and nothing like the sexual encounters they'd had. He didn't know what to think of it. He swallowed and wondered what that had meant. So far, their encounters had been the same, taking him out, then sex afterward. It was only twice, but he'd asked him again. Then he showed up at the apartment yesterday. He touched the spot on his neck again, swallowing. He'd left a mark on him which meant something, right? He didn't know for sure what it meant, but he'd tried to cover it with some of Yuzu's makeup this morning before he went job hunting. He hoped it had stayed covered most the day.

The bus pulled to a stop and Ichigo got out. He was so lost in thought as he approached the entrance to the apartment building that he nearly ran right into a group of people hanging out and smoking by the fence.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, backing up after nearly running over the blond haired one in the front. "I'm sorry!"

"Hey, you live here?" he asked. Ichigo looked at him and saw he was thin and had piercings in his left ear. He was wearing jeans and a band t-shirt. The other four were similarly dressed. All of them had on short, leather jackets.

"Yeah, I do," he said and started to walk around them, but one of the others stepped in his way, keeping him in the center of their circle.

"You're the guy I saw hanging out with that dude in the Jag, aren't ya?" a second one in the group asked, this one was tall with long brown hair pulled back at his neck.

"Yeah, I saw that Jag here a couple times," a third one with green hair as she leaned back against the fence.

Ichigo swallowed. He really didn't want to get in a fight over something stupid. The girls would get mad at him if he got into a fight with someone, so he wasn't going to do it. "Y-yeah, I know him. He's a friend…"

"Friend?" a fourth one snorted. "Is that why he was putting his hands on ya?" This one was dark haired with a star shaped afro on his head.

"Hands?" the blond asked as he turned his stare back onto Ichigo. "Oh, so you're more than friends with Mr. Jaguar, are ya?"

"It's not like that… We're just…" he stammered, not sure how to answer their questions. He was expecting to get attacked now, so he tensed and gripped the strap to his backpack a bit tighter.

"Huh, poor bastard like you managed to get a rich boy?" the one with long brown hair said, hand on his hip.

The blond smirked. "Well, I got respect for someone who can snag someone like that. You in it just for his money?"

"Um, no, I mean, it isn't like that," Ichigo couldn't believe what he was hearing this guy say.

"Oh? Well, then watch yourself around here hanging out with that guy. Might run into some trouble if you aren't careful. I'm Shinji Hirako. I live in this shitty building too. These are my friends," he pointed to the one with long brown hair, "Rose," he pointed to the girl with the green hair, "Mashiro," he gestured toward the one with the black hair in a star shaped afro, "Love," and he pointed to the last one, a girl with black pigtails who was reading a book, "Lisa." He held out his hand toward Ichigo.

"Oh, I'm Ichigo Kurosaki," he said and smiled. These guys were okay, he thought to himself.

"Nice ta meet ya, Kurosaki. See ya around," Shinji said and waved as he walked off, followed by the other four people.

Ichigo let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He swallowed hard and headed through the gate and found his way to his apartment. He went in and dropped his backpack by the door and took off his shoes. He dropped to his knees in front of the table and put his head down. How was he going to manage now? He jumped as he heard a knock at the door. He knew the girls would be late today because Karin had soccer practice after school. He got up and opened it to find the landlord. He swallowed thickly as he smiled at him.

"You have time, now," Motome said and Ichigo sensed that it was not a question. He pushed Ichigo aside and into the apartment. "Otherwise, someone might find out about your sisters here."

Ichigo shut the door behind him. "There has to be some other way than…"

Motome turned around and glared at him. "You want to try me, boy?"

"No, it's just, I have been out job hunting today, and…" he said.

"Job hunting? You want to reconsider my offer?" he said with a smirk.

Ichigo shook his head and Motome moved toward him, grabbing him by the hair and pulling his head down some. He was too shocked to do anything but be manhandled by the shorter man. "Well, that's just as well. You're not bad for an amateur. Now, you're going to get on your knees for me, aren't you?"

Ichigo winced as he pulled on his hair to pull him to his knees. He had no idea what else to do except what he said. He couldn't do anything else; he had to protect his secret at all costs.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Grimmjow nearly jumped as his phone went of in his hand. He saw it was his sister. He stepped away from Shawlong and Yylfordt to talk to her in semi-private.

"Yo, sis," he answered

"Grimmy, you said your friend was named Kurosaki, didn't you?" she asked.

Grimmjow blinked and wondered why she needed to know that. "Um, yeah, what's up? Why are you asking?"

"I was looking into them. After what you said, I got curious. I found out more about them, and you know I can't ignore what you said. Not with my job," she explained.

Shit. He hadn't thought about that when he talked to her last night. "What are you gonna do about it? You don't know where they are."

"I know where they're supposed to be," she said and Grimmjow knew something bad was going to happen. "I just wanted to make sure I had the name right. That's all I need from you."

"Wait, you can't do anything! He'll know how you found out about them?"

"I can't _not_ do something, Grimmy. You said that he took them out of the house because of and abusive home. I can't ignore that."

"C-can you make sure my name doesn't come up?" he asked, hoping that at least he wasn't going to be dragged into things.

"I'll do what I can. But this needs to be dealt with if they're in need." She sighed and continued. "You want to see him get help, don't you?"

"He doesn't want it, though," he said as he looked up to wave at Shawlong as he took off. Yylfordt came over and waited for him to get off the phone.

"Well, his sisters are underage, so he's going to get help whether he wants it or not," she said. "I can't tell you more than that. Just know that the best is what I want for them."

"Yeah, yeah," he said as he wondered what she was going to do. "I gotta go. I got class," he said as he started walking with Yylfordt.

"Bye, Grimmy," she said, and the line cut off.

"Problems?" Yylfordt asked as they got to their next class.

Grimmjow shook his head and wondered if he should tell Ichigo that his sister was looking into them. "Just family stuff," he said with a sigh.

"You see your boy toy again?" Yylfordt asked as they took their seats in the back of the class.

"Yeah, went by his place yesterday," he said as the other students started to trickle into the classroom.

"You seem rather serious about this one. I haven't seen you this into any of the girls you've had," he said as he pulled out the book for the class.

Grimmjow nodded. "Well, I dunno. I kinda like this guy. It's nice to be without drama for a change. I mean, his family drama is heavy, but there's no chick drama."

"And he puts out, so there's a plus for you."

"Yeah, but I can't help but feel bad in a way, like I'm taking advantage of him," he said as he sat there.

"Well, of course you are. You're taking him out, then fucking. And you're feeding his sisters. So, he's easy to get to do what you want. Seems like an ideal situation to get yourself a steady fuck toy," he said and gave him a smile.

Grimmjow swallowed at the thought. A steady fuck toy? Was that what he was to him? He felt a pang of regret for thinking like that. If he was just a steady fuck toy, then he wouldn't really care what happened to him, now would he?

After class he pulled out his phone and texted him.

 _Hey, was going to drop by today if you're home._

There was a long pause as Grimmjow headed to his car. He was beginning to think that he wasn't going to answer him. He got in the car and started to turn the key when his phone pinged. He picked it up.

 _That's fine._

He wasn't sure what to think of the short reply, but he glanced at the time and saw that it was almost four. He started the car and headed out. Before long he was at the parking lot outside the apartment building he lived in. He locked the car and walked toward the fence to go in, passing a group of delinquents hanging out by the fence smoking cigarettes. They watched him but didn't say anything as he went by.

He came to Ichigo's apartment and knocked. A few seconds later he answered, but he looked a little paler than he should.

"Hey, how are you?"

Ichigo gave a weak smile. "Oh, alright," he answered and moved over to let him into the apartment.

"Where's your sisters?" he asked as he realized he didn't see them in the room.

"Soccer practice," he said as he crossed his arms over his chest. Grimmjow thought he looked a little off for some reason.

Grimmjow thought his face looked red and puffy around his eyes. He reached out and ran a finger under his eye. "What's going on? You don't look well."

Ichigo stared at him for a minute and shook his head. "Just no luck on the job search. I don't know what I'll do if I don't find something soon. I can't go for that long without a second job."

"I'm sure something will pan out," he said with a smirk. "How long before your sisters get home?"

Ichigo swallowed and licked his lips with a moment's hesitation. "They'll be home by about seven. Practice and then they hang out with their friends and take the bus home."

Grimmjow placed a hand against his face and leaned in to kiss him, finding he responded and leaned into him. He stepped forward and began to deepen it, searching his mouth with his tongue. He noted that he tasted like mint. He pulled back and huffed a breath.

"You just brush your teeth or something? At this time of day?" he asked, nuzzling into his neck and biting at his collarbone.

"Just forgot earlier," he said as he exhaled a shaky sounding breath.

Grimmjow leaned back and looked at him. "Something's bothering you a lot today."

"Just the job, okay?" he said and looked away. Grimmjow knew there was more going on besides the job situation. But if he didn't want to tell him, what could he do? It wasn't like he could force the information out of him.

"Okay, okay," he answered, tipping his jaw up to engage him in another kiss. After a few minutes and lack of breath, he pulled back and took his hand. "I might like you."

Ichigo blinked and started to say something then stopped. "Like?"

"Like more than just someone to take out now and then. I'm not a relationship guy, but I might be willing to try it out for a while."

Ichigo stared at him, looking dumbfounded. "Relationship?"

"Is all you can do answer me with more questions?" he said as he tucked a strand of Ichigo's hair behind his ear.

He swallowed nervously. "I just, I never thought of that. What will people think?"

"I don't care what they think," Grimmjow snorted. "They can think what they want. I know I've got a reputation, but maybe you could change that in me."

"But you have so many friends that will say things…" Ichigo started.

"None of my friends will say anything that is against what I want to do. I'd like to take you to my house, for dinner with my family, not just to fuck. Though that is nice." He held his hand up and kissed the inside of his wrist.

"I don't know. I've never had a real relationship. I don't know how it works," he stammered out, looking more nervous.

"Well, we'd be finding out together, wouldn't we?" he said and stared at him for a minute.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

After Grimmjow left, Ichigo stood behind the door and panted. A real relationship? Something more than just going out and having sex? He didn't know what to think of that. That would mean being near Renji again, and he didn't know how to do that without awkwardness. What would he say to him? Sorry I pushed you and everyone else away like that? Sorry I was such a dick about things? How would he even begin to repair that split? He didn't know for sure what he would be able to do.

But he'd be Grimmjow's _boyfriend_. He would have a _boyfriend._ It was all too much as he wobbled over toward the futon. He was getting dizzy. Then again, he hadn't eaten today or yesterday at all. He glanced at his phone and saw that the girls would be home. How would he explain things to Karin? She was already suspicious of Grimmjow as it was. How would she react if he told her that they were really going out together and not just "friends"? He didn't think Yuzu realized what was happening, but he was sure Karin knew already.

What was he going to do about the landlord, though? He was still threatening to turn them in if he didn't do as he said. He swallowed a ball in his throat and thought about how he could manage that thing and Grimmjow. He wasn't sure what to do. Should he tell Grimmjow? No, he couldn't do that. What he was doing to keep them in this place… Grimmjow could never know. He would be upset to find out how much he had debased himself in order to keep this crappy one-bedroom apartment. He had no idea what life was like living with their foster parents. He was just thinking about it when his phone rang, and he saw that it was his foster mother again. What would she want now?

"Hello?" he asked tentatively.

"You took long enough to answer," Bambietta said with a snarl to her voice. She always sounded angry or annoyed. "I got a call today from the case worker. They're coming to check on your worthless sisters tomorrow evening, so you better have them back at the house by five."

He was vaguely glad he'd lost his job now because he had been scheduled to work the next day. "Alright, I'll bring them on the bus after school."

"Don't be late. I don't want to have to explain why they're not here to these people. You know the deal, you take care of them, and I don't have to anymore."

He nodded to himself. "I know, I know. Only as long as the case workers don't find out they're staying with me."

"Good, glad that brain of yours still works sometimes." The line cut off and Ichigo sighed. Great, they would have to go back over to that house tomorrow. He hoped it wasn't a disaster. He had no idea what would happen.

The girls came home and Ichigo made them their ramen bowls. He passed on having one himself even though he was starving. He wasn't going to take the chance they ran out of food before he found a new job.

"I got a call from Bambietta today. We have a visit with the case worker back at the house tomorrow afternoon. So, we have to go back for the day," Ichigo informed them as he sat down beside them.

Both girls groaned. "Do we have to?" Karin complained.

"I'm afraid so. They want to do a check in for some reason. We can't get caught with you staying here instead of over there," he said with a deep sigh.

"Well, we don't have to like it," Karin mumbled and continued eating her noodles.

"Anaki, why aren't you having something?" Yuzu asked as she looked up at him.

"Oh, I ate earlier before you got home," he told her with a gentle smile. Luckily, his stomach wasn't audible with its complaints.

He got the girls in bed and then laid down on the futon. Going without food was starting to affect him, but he couldn't help it. Tomorrow, he couldn't skip classes, and he'd be seeing Grimmjow again. He smiled. He still hoped it wasn't all some big joke on him. He grabbed his phone and texted him.

 _Were you serious about what you said earlier?_

There was a moment before the answer came. _I wouldn't have said it if I wasn't serious._

 _But, why would you want me of all people?_

 _I don't know. I just do._ He answered so quickly, Ichigo knew he was at his phone now.

Ichigo licked his lips and felt his heart hammer in his chest. This was so backward. They started out with sex and now were having a relationship. He couldn't help but be happy about it a little bit. _Okay._

 _See you tomorrow._

Ichigo sighed, putting his phone away and trying to get some sleep.

He groaned when the phone let him know that it was morning. He would take the bus with the girls as usual, but this afternoon as soon as they got home, they'd take the bus back over to their foster family's house. He had to hope everything went smoothly. The good thing was that both girls looked healthy and had no bruises on them anymore. He'd always caught the worst of it, but they still got the rough side of their foster mother's personality now and then.

He got them up and out on the bus to start the day and yawned as he went into Dr. Ukitake's psych class. Immediately, he saw that Grimmjow and Renji were already in their seats and he wondered if he should say something. No, he couldn't say something, he thought as he scurried to his seat and felt that Grimmjow was watching him. He started when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Grimmjow standing there. He gasped a little and smiled at him.

"Hey," he said with a dusting of pink rising to his cheeks because the class was half full.

"You don't come see me before class?" he asked, arching on brow at him.

"I thought you were busy," he said, looking away and catching the girl who he'd talked to the other day looking at him.

"Nah, you can come talk to me anytime, got it?" he said and again Ichigo's heart felt like it was swelling.

He just nodded and smiled at him. Grimmjow squeezed his shoulder, then went back to his seat. He felt like everyone in the class was staring at him now. He didn't know how to react to what was happening. He could barely concentrate on class, he was so worried about Grimmjow and the meeting with the case worker this afternoon. By the time class ended, he realized he had no idea what the class had been about. He sighed and gathered his things, standing up slowly. He realized that Renji had left already and Grimmjow was waiting at the door for him. He swallowed and went to where he was.

"I thought I'd walk with you for a while. You pass right by my class so I thought we could go together," he said with a smile.

Ichigo was a sucker for that smile, he realized, because he found himself nodding. He flinched when he felt Grimmjow put a hand on his hip and pull him closer as they walked. He felt the blood rush to his cheeks and it was stupid because they'd slept together twice already, yet this was embarrassing to him. They came to the chemistry room and they stopped outside the door.

"Alright, I'll see you later. Are you available tonight?" he asked.

"Um, no, not tonight. I have a thing with the girls and won't be home until late. M-maybe tomorrow after class?" he said, looking up at him with a hopeful look.

Grimmjow smiled. "Yeah, we'll go for some dinner, maybe catch a real movie, what do you say?"

Again, that damned smile was killing him. "Yeah, sounds good."

Ichigo ducked his head and headed down the hallway toward his next class. He was blushing hard by now and couldn't believe that Grimmjow was willing to be around him without being bothered by it.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

"You really serious about it?" Renji said as Grimmjow sat down in Urahara's class.

"I am." He smiled at him and nodded. "I think he is too."

Renji frowned and sighed. "I can't say I understand why you're insistent on dating that guy…"

"Wait, are you dating someone?" another student in the class asked, turning around in his seat. "Like actually dating someone?"

"As a matter of fact, yeah, I am," Grimmjow said with a smirk. "Just started seeing him on the regular."

"Whoa, you switched teams, eh?" the student said with wide eyes.

"Nah, I've always played for both, I'm bi," Grimmjow told him with a shrug. "No guy caught my attention before."

"Wow," he said and turned back around.

Renji smirked. "Well, at least you don't have to deal with chick drama anymore, but isn't he drama enough for ya?"

Grimmjow shook his head. "Gonna have drama no matter who I date, so might as well accept it. Besides, I kinda like his sisters. The one has spunk. I swear, I thought she was gonna hit me."

"Alright class settle down!" Dr. Urahara said as he got in front of the class.

Grimmjow wondered what he had going on with his sisters that kept him busy tonight. He had to hope that everything was okay. He was focused on the class and didn't notice that he was being glared at by one of his exes. She sat in front of the guy that had been talking to him, and now she was stealing glances behind her at him. As class ended, he got up and walked out with the guys to head to the spot with the chairs that they always hung out in. He flopped into one of the comfortable chairs and laid back.

"So, you ever figure out what Ichigo's deal with not wanting me to know he was living with his sisters was about?" Renji asked as he cocked one leg up on the arm of his chair and stared at Grimmjow.

"I dunno for sure, but I think it has something to do with his sisters being there without the authorities knowing about it," he said with a frown.

Renji thought about it for a minute then looked at him. "Yeah, cuz aren't his sisters still in high school?"

"Yeah. Like fourteen or something," Grimmjow agreed.

"Might be because I knew the family he was fostered by and knew about how the system works," he explained. "Those girls aren't old enough to be living with anyone except their foster parents."

"Yeah, that's what I figured. But I mighta caused some problems because I talked to my sister and she's a social worker. So, what happens if they find out he's taking care of them instead of the foster family?" he wondered.

"Be sent back," Renji shrugged. "I mean, how is an eighteen-year-old gonna take care of two other teenagers successfully?"

Grimmjow licked his lips thoughtfully. How long could Ichigo keep up what he was doing was the question. And what would happen when he finally stopped being able to keep up?

"Do you think that's why he pushed all his friends away?" Grimmjow asked, truly wondering now if that was the case.

Renji looked at him. "Maybe. He does care about his sisters a lot."

"Do you think he was just trying to protect them from anyone he thought might say something?" he wondered.

"But why would he push all his friends away? He could have told me if that was the case. He could have trusted me," he said and chewed the inside of his lip for a second. "Unless I didn't seem trustworthy."

"But he didn't keep any of his friends. He pushed everyone away. So, that means he decided not to have anyone close to him at all. I mean, that's really sad when you think about it… He felt like the easiest way to protect his sisters was to make sure no one got close enough to him to know what was happening." Grimmjow looked at Renji for a long time. "Can you imagine how lonely he must be?"

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Ichigo hated this. He got off the bus at the one closest to their house with the girls in tow. He had no idea what was going on for the case worker to want to see them so suddenly. He hoped it was nothing serious. The girls walked slowly toward the house with him and he couldn't blame them. It had been a good four months since they'd been here. Being back wasn't the best thing in the world. If they were lucky, they'd be able to catch the bus back to the apartment tonight; if not they would have to stay the night there.

He knocked on the door as they stepped up to it. The door was pulled open roughly from the other side and Bambietta was standing there with a snarl on her face.

"About damn time," she growled and moved to let them in. "It's almost time for them to show up. How would things look if I didn't know where you brats were?"

"We had to catch the bus," Ichigo tried to explain. He barely got the words out when she slapped him across the face.

"No damn backtalk to me in this house, even though you're eighteen, understand?" she said and turned toward the kitchen where Cang was sitting at the table, looking mellow as always.

Ichigo didn't say anything else, just went and sat down at the table. The girls each followed suit and sat down around the large dining room table. It didn't take long for there to be a knock at the door. Bambietta glared at the three of them, then put on a sweet smile and opened the door.

"Isane," she said cheerfully. "Good to see you!"

"Yes, hello, Bambietta. How are you tonight?" asked the pale haired woman.

"Good, good. And here are the girls. Ichigo is here tonight too," she said with a gesture toward the table.

"Yes, yes, well, I have some important things to discuss with the girls, and it is just as well that Ichigo is here too, as it concerns him as well," Isane told them as she sat down and put her bag on the table.

Bambietta went around and sat down by Cang. Isane pulled a file folder out of her bag and handed it to Yuzu, who sat closest to her.

"We've been contacted by your birth father," Isane told them with a gentle smile on her face.

Ichigo blinked in utter shock. It had almost been ten years since he'd left them at an orphanage, voluntarily putting them into the foster system.

"What does he want?" Karin snapped, crossing her arms and frowning deeply at Isane.

"Well, he has expressed a desire to reunite with you. He's still your father so he can petition to have you returned to him. It may not be approved, however," Isane explained.

"You can tell him we're fine how we are, and we don't need him," Karin said and turned away from the table angrily.

Isane nodded and spoke softly. "I understand that this is quite a shock to you, and I don't want you to decide anything tonight. Ichigo, you of course can do whatever you want with knowledge that your father wants to contact you. We can provide you with his contact information."

"No, he didn't want us ten years ago, why do we want anything to do with him now?" he said without looking up from his hands.

"I know it is easy just to discount him, but he surely had his reasons for leaving you in the care of others," Isane stated calmly. "I think you should at least hear his reasons for leaving."

Ichigo swallowed a ball in the back of his throat as emotions tried to well. He actively fought back the tears that threatened. He hadn't thought about his real parents that often, mostly because he remembered how happy they had been as a family until the mugging that caused his mother's death. Ichigo had been with her at the time, and had witnessed the entire thing, though he refused to talk about it until he was almost fourteen, and then only to the school counselor.

"Well, that was the main reason for the visit, but also a well check since we had a report that things were amiss in the household," Isane said as she looked between Bambietta and Cang.

"Amiss?" Bambietta exclaimed with a frown. "That's ridiculous, as you can see the girls are doing just fine."

Isane nodded. "Yes, so it seems," she said and glanced over to Yuzu who was sitting with her head down and not looking at Isane at all.

Ichigo held his breath and wondered how much this woman could figure out. Yuzu couldn't lie, so if she asked her anything, she'd spill everything. Bambietta spoke up, though.

"Well, the girls are doing great in school, and Karin is doing splendid in soccer this year. Parent/teacher conferences went by smoothly and everything was good for both of them," Bambietta crossed her arms over her chest as she talked.

"Yes, well, you know how we have to check in at the house now and then," Isane nodded toward her. "But things look in order, and I'll contact you if there is anything else from your father."

Isane stood up and Bambietta got up and showed her to the door. Ichigo was quiet as he checked the time to see that they could make the last bus easily. Bambietta came back and glared at them.

"Don't think you're something special because that father of yours might be back. You still belong to me and that's the way it is," she said with a snarl.

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah, well, we'll go so we can catch the last bus back home."

"Yeah, get the hell out of here," Bambietta said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

The girls both got up and followed Ichigo out of the house. They stayed silent on the bus all the way home and when they got there, Yuzu burst into tears. Ichigo hugged her to him and looked at Karin. Karin was crying as well, but she was angry.

"How dare he show up after all this time," she growled. "He abandoned us and now he wants to come back into our lives like this?"

"We don't have to let him," Ichigo reminded her. "He's not our father anymore; he gave that up a long time ago."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Revelations and Truth

Isshin Kurosaki sat in the hotel lobby and thought about a lot of things. Of course, the main thing he thought of is what brought him back here: his kids. Almost ten years ago, he had his heart ripped out and descended into a depression so deep that he almost hadn't come out of it. He'd found his way into a bottle not long after his wife Masaki was murdered in a botched mugging one night. She'd been walking by the river with Ichigo and had been confronted. She never carried anything with her when she walked with him, so the mugger panicked and ended up shooting her in the stomach. He ran off and Ichigo watched his mother slowly bleed to death while they waited for an ambulance. She'd hung on for a while but died in the emergency room.

Just like that, he was left with three small children to take care of on his own. At nine and five, none of them were able to take care of themselves and every glance found him staring at Masaki in each and every one of them. The worst had been Ichigo. He'd always been a tearful child, and it only got worse once his mother died. Isshin had taken to drinking not long after the funeral, but the incident that made him decide to hand his kids over to someone, anyone, else to take care of had happened.

He'd been drunk, and for whatever reason, Ichigo had been having a bad day. Something at school or something had set the boy off and he was crying again. That was when a horrible, terrible rage took over and he grabbed his son, his precious boy, and screamed at him to shut up. The fear in his eyes sobered him immediately, and he realized he couldn't be trusted around his own children. He quietly looked into foster care, intending it to be temporary, just until he got off the alcohol.

Unfortunately, the days turned to weeks, and the weeks to months. He was nearly sober when he fell off the wagon hard and lost his job at the local hospital. He managed to avoid the drugs, but the alcohol was enough. By the end of the first year, he was destitute and there was no hope that he could even think about his kids.

"Still thinking?" came a welcome voice behind him. He sighed, feeling a pair of hands resting on his shoulders. He turned and smiled up at the woman who had given him back his reason for living.

"Rangiku," he said and placed his hand on hers. "I'm waiting for the case worker still. She should be here soon."

Rangiku Matsumoto had been at one of the Alcoholics Anonymous meetings that Isshin had gone to. She, like Isshin, was a recovering alcoholic. She understood how hard it was to get off the bottle and become a productive member of society again. They had felt an instant connection, and before long, they were dating, and both of them had a chance to do better than before. Then, Isshin fell apart on Masaki's death anniversary, going into a repeat of the cycle he'd gone through the last nine years. This time, though, someone was there to help pull him back from the abyss that threatened to consume his very soul. It was hard, and he hated Rangiku for doing it, but she got him back into AA and wouldn't let him give up. She showed him that he had three wonderful reasons to try, and that he had to get better so that he could see them again.

Now, they had been engaged for two months, and Isshin was now fully employed as a doctor at the local hospital, thanks to some friendly connections that had come out of his past. Rangiku had become a nurse and worked in the Emergency Room. Together, they had been clean and sober for a year now. That one year anniversary for Isshin had been the day he decided to try and come back into the lives of his kids once again, no matter how hard it was.

Rangiku sat down on the comfortable sofa beside him and put an arm around him as they waited. They would find out today what the results of telling the kids he wanted to meet with them had been. It was perhaps the most nerve wracking experience of Isshin's life. He jerked his head up every time the door opened to see if it was the case worker. Each time it wasn't her, he would sigh and try to relax, only to repeat the process the next time the door opened. Finally, after what felt like a long time, the woman he was expecting came through the door. He'd talked to her once at the office, and this was the first time meeting outside that environment. Both he and Rangiku stood up.

"Dr. Kurosaki," she said as she bowed slightly to him.

"Isshin, please," he said as he gestured for her to have a seat at the adjacent chair.

"Isshin. And you were?" she said, glancing at Rangiku.

"Rangiku Matsumoto," she responded. "I'm his fiancée."

"Isane Kotetsu. Nice to meet you," she said gently with a smile to her face. "I met with the girls, and last night Ichigo was there. So, I got to see him too."

Isshin nodded impatient to hear how they had reacted to hearing that he wanted to see them again. "What did they say?"

Isane's face told the story before she even spoke. Isshin felt his heart ache just by looking at her. "It wasn't as favorable as we had hoped. The girls were both surprised and unsure. Ichigo was somewhat confrontational. He indicated that he wasn't interested in reuniting with you. He's eighteen now, of course, so he is out of the system."

"That boy was always stubborn," Isshin said with a sigh. "What are my chances of getting the girls returned to me?"

Isane shook her head. "That depends on them. If they are on board with wanting to come back, there is a better shot of it working out. The judge will rule based on a lot of factors. Your alcoholism will come up."

"Did you tell the kids about that?" Isshin asked, glancing at her with pained eyes.

Isane shook her head. "No, I've said nothing of your reasons. I strongly encouraged them to consider meeting with you and listening."

"What's next?" he asked, running a hand over his dark hair.

"Next, we set up a meeting at the office. I'll have their foster mother bring the girls, and request that Ichigo come along. We'll set it up for one week from now," she said and took an appointment card from her bag. "Four pm so the kids don't miss school. We'll go from there."

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Dinner and a movie sounded like a real date, and Ichigo wondered how it would go. So far, their "dates" had been pretty straightforward and to the point. They hadn't gone anywhere that would be considered a "Dates Spot" where other people went on dates. He was beside himself with anticipation when he got to class the next day. He only had the one class, so he didn't have a lot to wait for. He wondered if Grimmjow would still come by afterward to get him.

He was walking out of class when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and moved to the side of the hallway to see what it was. His heart did the annoying little flip thing again as he saw it was from Grimmjow.

 _Could I give you a ride home after class?_

 _I just got out and was heading to the bus. I can wait though._

 _Good, I have class now, so I'll meet you in the front in about an hour, alright?_

Ichigo's hands were shaking a little. A ride home too? _Okay._

He put the phone away and headed to the front area where everyone relaxed in the chairs. He noted that there was a group of guys nearby, but he ignored them. He didn't know most of them. He found a seat and curled up into it, already tired. It didn't take long for him to get sleepy and doze off. He came awake with a start when someone shook his shoulder. He blinked and cleared his eyes to see it was Grimmjow.

"Oh, hey," he murmured as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. "I musta fell asleep."

"You sure you don't want to rest tonight instead of going to a movie?" Grimmjow asked, face twisted into a bit of concern.

"No, I'm fine," he said, standing up and clutching the strap for his bag tighter. "Really. Just got too comfortable and nodded off."

Grimmjow looked at him for a moment then nodded. "Well, let's get you home before your sisters so they don't worry."

Ichigo nodded and didn't even notice the hand Grimmjow placed at the small of his back to steer him. He just went along with him as they walked together out to his car. He was blissfully unaware of the stares they had gotten. He climbed into the car and once again was overwhelmed with the cleanliness of it. He had no idea how he kept things to neat and to perfection so well.

"How was your day?" Grimmjow asked.

"Today has been normal," Ichigo started, pausing for a moment. "Yesterday I found out my real father wants to see us again." He had no idea why he was telling this to Grimmjow.

"That's heavy," Grimmjow muttered. "What are you gonna do?"

"See him, I guess. My sisters are going to have to go meet with him seems like, so I will be there for them if nothing else. I don't know why he's coming around after almost ten years." Ichigo sighed and ran a hand over his head. "He's the one that dumped us at the orphanage to be put into foster care and got us stuck in that terrible household."

Grimmjow was silent as they pulled into the apartment building's parking lot. Ichigo saw Shinji and his friends gathered near the fence again and smiled. He hadn't talked to them lately but he had thought about it. He just was too busy to worry on new friends. Grimmjow got out and Ichigo followed him and walked around the car. Once again, Grimmjow put his hand on Ichigo's back and he felt himself blushing a bit.

"Yo, Ichigo," Shinji called as they walked by.

"Hey, Shinji, how are you?" Ichigo paused as they came to the fence. Oh, um, Shinji, this is Grimmjow. Grimmjow, this is another guy that lives here," Ichigo said to them each.

"Nice to meetcha," Grimmjow said and nodded toward him.

"Same. Nice car you got, man," Shinji said as he tilted his head toward the Jaguar. "Fanciest thing I've seen around here in a while."

Grimmjow smiled at him. "Yeah, she's my baby."

"I'll see ya later, Shinji," Ichigo said as he grabbed Grimmjow's hand and pulled him toward the building.

"Later," Shinji nodded as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it casually.

They came to the door and Ichigo unlocked it, letting them both into the place. He had beat the girls by a few minutes more than usual today with Grimmjow bringing him home.

"I'm early today, thanks to you," Ichigo told him with a smile.

"Well, what do you wanna do with your extra time?" Grimmjow asked, squeezing his hand and then picking it up to kiss the inside of his wrist gently.

Ichigo felt his cheeks heat up and he looked away. "I don't have _that_ much time. Besides, I should get ready for tonight. Why don't you sit on the futon there. The girls might be home before I'm back out. Hopefully Karin isn't too antagonistic," he sighed and shook his head.

"Kid's got spunk, that's for sure," Grimmjow said with a smile.

Ichigo nodded and disappeared into the bedroom for a few minutes. He closed the door and heaved a breath. He didn't know if he needed to ask about the girls' getting dinner or not. So far, Grimmjow hadn't said anything about ordering them anything… He swallowed and picked out his nicest shirt, a polo shirt he used for interviews. He figured a quick shower would be a good idea, so he slipped out of the bedroom and into the bathroom, glancing out to see Grimmjow seated on the futon and doing something on his phone.

He knew the girls would be home before he got done. He really did hope that Karin didn't get on Grimmjow's nerves about anything while he was in the shower. He couldn't make Grimmjow wait any longer for him than he was already. He figured he'd be quick enough. He stripped and stepped into the shower with a sigh. It did feel nice to get a shower before he left the apartment for the night. He also didn't know what all Grimmjow had planned for their evening. He got dressed quickly and opened the door to find Yuzu in the kitchen and Karin sitting at the table glaring at Grimmjow's back. He sighed.

"Okay," he said and Grimmjow looked up from his phone.

"I thought I'd just have something delivered for your sisters if that's okay?" Grimmjow got up and came over to where Ichigo was standing.

"Oh, that would be great," Ichigo said, secretly thankful that he'd remembered.

"What would you guys like to order?" he asked, looking in at Karin and Yuzu. Karin still glared at him. Yuzu smiled and came over toward the table.

"Oh, anything is fine," Yuzu said with a grin on her face. "We aren't picky."

Grimmjow nodded, doing something on his phone. "Alright, I'll order something from a good place I know," he explained as he dialed a number. "You'll love it, I'm sure."

"I'm sure," Karin grumbled from her spot at the table.

After Grimmjow had ordered the meal, he looked over to Ichigo. "You ready? I wanted to eat before the movie."

"Oh, yeah. Girls, have a nice night. I might be late, depends on how late the movie goes," he told the girls as he headed toward the door. Grimmjow followed and waved to the girls.

As they got outside, Grimmjow commented, "I don't think your one sister likes me."

"I think she'd react that way to anyone I brought home," Ichigo smiled as they got to the car. It looked like Shinji and his friends were gone for the evening. "What are we doing for dinner?" he asked as he got settled into the car. Then, he gasped to himself. He shouldn't ask that kind of question, he thought.

"Well, there's a little place near the theater that I like, if that works for you." Grimmjow started the car and pulled out.

"Yeah," Ichigo said, smiling at him. "That sounds fine."

This sounded like a real date, Ichigo thought. Maybe he was serious about wanting to try a real relationship with him? He wasn't sure what to think about that as they pulled into a smaller looking café. It looked rather busy, too. And there were lots of younger people around. He swallowed thickly as he got out of the car. This was the first time they'd be around a lot of other people their age. He followed Grimmjow around the car and was surprised when he took his hand. Ichigo felt his cheeks warm as he ducked his head.

"I've been to this place a lot," Grimmjow said as they entered the place.

It was a smaller place, but it was full of people. There was a hostess that sat them down at a small table in the back and Ichigo felt a little easier as they brought around water and then the waiter came to the table. Ichigo looked over the menu, grateful or a normal place where he knew what was on it. He found something he liked easily. Grimmjow ordered something, what Ichigo didn't hear exactly. He was too concerned with the fact that they would be _seen_ out together.

"You seem to be a little wound up? What did you decide on your father?" Grimmjow asked as they waited for their food to come.

"Oh, yeah, I'm a little worried about it. I mean, if he wants to take the girls back, who can stop him? I can't take them without guardianship and I don't have that, so I don't know what any of us will do with this new knowledge. But how could he just show up?" Ichigo drank out of his cola for a moment. "I mean, after nearly nine years? Why did he abandon three kids for that long?"

"It sounds like you want to know, and the best way to find out is to talk to him, no matter how much you don't want to," Grimmjow pointed out.

Ichigo sighed, nodding. "I know. And I know I'll meet with him. I just can't imagine any excuse he could come up with that could possibly account for this much time."

"You never know. He may have some really good reason," Grimmjow leaned back a little in the booth and glared at someone that was staring at him. "You have to at least hear it. Even if you don't take his reason as a valid one, you can at least know why. That's worth something."

Ichigo lapsed into silence and thought about it. "I guess you're right. I just… How do I let someone back into the girls' lives that is like that? What his reason is…"

Grimmjow leaned over a little and put his hand on Ichigo's where it lay on the table. "Just breathe. You're getting all worked up about something that hasn't even happened yet."

Looking at their hands, he swallowed and nodded. "I know. But it just has been all I've thought about. Well, that and the job problem."

"Maybe I can help find you a job? That would be something off your chest," he said with a squeeze of his hand.

"How are you gonna do that?" he asked, frowning and wondering exactly what it was that Grimmjow thought he could do. It wasn't like he'd ever had to hunt for a job before.

Shrugging, Grimmjow smirked. "I got connections," he remarked and then looked up as the waiter arrived with their food.

To be honest, Ichigo was starving and grateful for a night out. He needed to have something to get his mind off things. He was blissfully unaware of the occasional stares and glances they kept getting from people around their age. Ichigo at without much commentary and by the time he was done, he looked up to find Grimmjow staring at him.

"You don't eat enough," Grimmjow told him. "You're way too thin."

Ichigo swallowed a thick feeling in his throat. "I eat enough. I have to focus on the girls and that's the priority."

"Not the way you eat when I take you out, you don't," he muttered but looked up to take the check from the waiter. He paid and then smiled at him. "Okay, to the movies. They've got a lot playing that's good right now. I think the latest superhero movie is out…"

"Oh that would be cool," Ichigo said as he followed Grimmjow out of the place. He felt oddly on display with Grimmjow, but he was someone that attracted attention with his look. Not many people had baby blue hair like he did.

The movie theater was playing something they both agreed on. Grimmjow then insisted they get drinks and popcorn "because that's what you do at the movies" no matter how Ichigo tried to tell him it wasn't necessary. The movie itself was one that Ichigo had been looking forward to seeing and he was going to have to thank Grimmjow again. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd been to a movie theater. During the movie, Grimmjow put his arm behind him and Ichigo felt his heart thump. It was nice and comfortable, he thought as he let him sit there like that. It was simple, but it was so much more than he could interpret as just a guy playing him. He swallowed thickly and wondered where the night would end up…

He didn't have to wait too long to figure that out. After the movie ended, they waited until the after credits scene played and then got up with the rest of the people in the theater.

"That was amazing," Ichigo said with a smile as they came out of the theater into the cool night air. Ichigo shivered because it was chilly, and he was in a short-sleeve shirt. Grimmjow put his arm around him again, surprising him.

"Cold?" he asked.

"A little. I need to get a coat soon," he told him with a shrug. A couple people walked by, looking at them before moving on.

"Come on, I thought we could go somewhere more private," Grimmjow muttered into his ear and Ichigo shivered. Still, his mind was on how he had to "pay" his part for these dates. He got into the car and didn't regret the choice he was making. He pulled out his phone and saw that the girls hadn't called for anything. He was glad they were in the car now, because he felt like too many people were looking at them.

Grimmjow took off and didn't say where they were going. He seemed to have a destination in mind, though. Before long, they came to a wooded area that was a bit of overlook at the side of the road. He pulled off and to the side of the road. He turned off the car and smirked.

"I like this spot," Grimmjow said and got out of the car.

Ichigo watched him curiously and got out. They went to the guardrail of the road and looked over at the lit-up city below them.

"It's pretty," Ichigo breathed, seeing this as a different vantage point than he'd ever had on the city he'd always lived in.

"Is it too cold for you, or are you okay?" Grimmjow asked him, turning toward him.

"I'm fine," he answered, hugging his arms around himself a little as he tried to keep the chill away.

"We can warm up," Grimmjow said with that smirk that undid all of Ichigo's defenses.

He just nodded, feeling his face flush immediately. He wanted to do it here? He wondered how…

Before he had a chance to think too much, Grimmjow had grabbed him and pressed him against the side of the car, biting at his neck. Ichigo gasped and felt the shiver take him. It was more than the cold now. He felt Grimmjow going for the door behind him, and he pulled him away as he dropped in the passenger seat. He looked up with that damn smirk again and Ichigo climbed in on top of his lap. The car was small, but the seat was all the way back, and as they sat there, Grimmjow popped the seat back down.

"Are you sure we can do this here? In your car?" Ichigo asked, completely unable to believe he wanted to have sex in his clean, beautiful car.

"Yeah, break her in right," he said with a huffed of breath as he pulled Ichigo's shirt up and snaked his hands around to squeeze the swell of his ass.

"You've never done this in here?" Ichigo asked, already feeling Grimmjow grinding against him.

He supposed that answered his question. Grimmjow's hands went for his jean button and then his hands were down the back of his pants, squeezing and pressing him into heightened arousal as well. Ichigo huffed a breath and wondered how this was going to work. Grimmjow reached down and released himself from his own jeans and Ichigo got a good look at him for the first real time. No wonder he was so damn sore afterward… He reached down and began to stroke him with a nervous hand. He hadn't touched him before.

"Don't tease me too much, babe, I'll go quicker than I want," Grimmjow growled.

Ichigo licked his lips as his hand slipped over him. He wriggled his hips as he felt himself pressing at the inside of his own jeans. Grimmjow's hand moved into his own pants to pull him out. He pressed forward against him and Grimmjow's hand came up and stroked them both together. Ichigo bit his lip as he watched Grimmjow's hand work over them both.

"Get out of yer jeans," Grimmjow growled under his breath.

Ichigo hesitated because he had no idea he was supposed to do that. He leaned over, pinning Grimmjow down against the seat and managed to get his jeans off his hips. He felt Grimmjow's hands pushing them down as he pulled his feet up one at a time, shoes sliding off into the floorboard. He huffed a breath as he finally got free of his jeans.

"Ah!" he exhaled. "Got it… This is cramped."

Grimmjow chuckled. "That's part of the fun," he murmured as Ichigo got back onto his lap, one leg propped up on the center console, the other almost on the ground outside the car. It wasn't like the car was that high off the ground. Grimmjow pushed up and Ichigo leaned back into the dashboard. Grimmjow's hand slipped underneath him and he winced as one of his fingers slipped into him. It felt a lot better now that he was getting used to it. He thought Grimmjow was going slower this time, though, as his fingers slipped and slid inside him. He had pressed a second one into him, and Ichigo arched back as he stroked his prostate directly.

"That spot feels good, doesn't it?" Grimmjow asked as his hand kept reaching to stroke that spot again.

"Um hmm," Ichigo murmured, feeling his own body reacting and dripping fluid onto Grimmjow's lap under him.

"It feels different, I guess that's what they call the sweet spot, eh?" he said as he jabbed his fingers a little harder into it.

"Oh," was the only thing he could say as stars struck across his vision.

The cramped position made it impossible to get away from the intensity of his fingers rubbing inside of him. There was a second he thought he was going to lose it just from him stroking him inside. Grimmjow stopped, pulling his fingers out and then pulled his t-shirt off over his head and tossed it in the driver's seat.

"Don't want it to get messy," he explained as Ichigo took the moment to catch his breath and get himself back under control. He didn't want to go off so quickly; that would be embarrassing. "Here, lemme take yours off," he said, grabbing the bottom of his shirt and pulling it up and over his head in one quick move. He tossed it in the seat with his own shirt.

Ichigo thought he'd be cold but right then he was more than warm enough. In fact, he was getting hot. He saw Grimmjow start digging in his pocket and pulled out a condom package. Ichigo grabbed it.

"I'll do it," he muttered. He tore open the packet and slipped it out, tossing the empty package into the driver's seat. He licked his lips and pressed the condom down on Grimmjow, slowly unrolling it down his length.

Grimmjow grabbed his hips as soon as he was done and shifted him forward. "I don't wanna wait much longer, you'll get cold," he huffed and reached underneath him to slide fingers back into him again, but Ichigo was impatient too so he moved away. He pushed up on his knees, hovering over him for a second before he slid down. He gasped and winced as he held himself up still for a second until he got used to the feeling.

"Okay?" Grimmjow asked, holding gently to his hips.

"Yeah," he nodded, getting used to it as he slipped down on him. He wondered if it would ever be a time when doing this didn't hurt at first. It was better this time than the first, that was for certain.

He moved until he was sitting flat on Grimmjow's lap, his one leg nearly collapsing under him as he held onto Grimmjow's shoulders. Grimmjow bucked upward toward him and Ichigo let out a moaning sound as he struck right where it felt the best. He felt Grimmjow's hand sliding up his chest to pinch at his nipples and then he leaned up to suck gently at him. He latched on to the left with his teeth and rubbed the right in his fingers. Ichigo gasped out at the strange sensations coming from him chest. He didn't know how to handle all the sensations as he kept being pulled down onto Grimmjow as deep as possible.

Grimmjow reached up and pulled him down onto his belly, grabbing his face and engaging him in a kiss as he sat still for a moment. Ichigo pressed back with his tongue, exploring Grimmjow's mouth with equal fervor as he felt him throbbing inside him. He felt his end coming as Grimmjow's tongue seemed to be everywhere at once. He whined into his mouth and felt himself go over between them. He panted into Grimmjow's mouth as he grinned.

"That was quick," Grimmjow muttered and bucked his hips upward.

"Ah, yeah," Ichigo panted out as he slipped his foot on the side of the car and began to move on him.

It didn't take much longer before Grimmjow grabbed Ichigo's hips tightly and slammed up hard a few times. Ichigo gasped as he felt him go over the edge finally. He collapsed forward onto him, panting from the exertion of keeping his body up on him in this position. He felt Grimmjow's hand caressing his back gently as he laid there, huffing heavy breaths for a few minutes until he suddenly shuddered, the sweat drying on his body chilling him as the wind blew in through the open door of the car.

"Hey, you're getting cold, come on, get back in your clothes before you catch a cold or somethin'."

Grimmjow opened the console and pulled out a package of handwipes. He pulled off a couple and cleaned them both off before Ichigo stepped out of the car, now freezing since he was naked against the night air. He grabbed his shorts and pants and scrambled into them, then Grimmjow tossed his shirt at him. He slipped into it and found his shoes in the floorboard.

"Okay, I take it back, I am cold," he said as his teeth chattered a bit.

"Oh, but you were warm a minute ago," Grimmjow murmured and grabbed Ichigo by the hips to pull him to sit on his lap again. He pulled him down in another kiss. After a few minutes more, they separated with panting breath on both sides. Grimmjow leaned over and began to kiss his neck again, which didn't help the shivers that took him under his lips.

"Stop!" he gasped, pushing on Grimmjow's head with his hand. "Now I'm really cold," he whined.

"Yeah," Grimmjow said and squeezed Ichigo against him a little. "We should take you home," he said with a grin. "Those sisters of yours will have my nuts if I don't get you there at a reasonable time."

"They should be asleep by now." Ichigo hoped they were asleep by this time.

"You honestly think they sleep when you go out? The spunky one isn't going to shut her eyes until you're home," Grimmjow said with a smirk.

Ichigo sighed, standing up out off Grimmjow's lap so he could go back around. Grimmjow popped the back of the seat back up and then went around to the driver's seat again. Ichigo sat down in the seat and smiled. It had been a good night. Grimmjow glanced over at him and smiled too.

"You think you want to do something like this again?" he asked with a smirk.

"Yeah, I think so. I enjoyed myself," Ichigo said and nodded his head.

They were silent the rest of the way to the building and when they got there, Grimmjow walked him to the door.

"You don't have to walk me," Ichigo said as they headed toward the fence.

"I want to." Grimmjow gave him a wink and another of those damned smirks.

They got to the door, and Ichigo opened it quietly. Grimmjow grabbed his shoulders and turned him around, kissing him suddenly. Ichigo gasped a little in surprise but smiled and melted into the kiss again. He broke away and smiled.

"Good night," he said and shut the door.

Again, he didn't notice the door to the girls' bedroom was slightly cracked, and it shut after he walked to the futon.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Yuzu was confused as she sat by the field watching Karin practice. Karin had been angry today again, and she knew it was because Ichi-nii had gone out again last night with that guy. For some reason, Karin got upset even though he was nice to them and bought them dinner. This morning, Ichigo had been a little tired looking and he must have come in late the night before.

She knew Karin thought she didn't know what was happening. She sighed and ran her hand through her hair. She could see that Ichigo was obviously dating this guy. The question was why. Karin obviously didn't think he was dating him because he wanted to be with him. He seemed to like the guy, and it seemed that he had fun when he went out. She ran a hand over her head and sighed.

"What's up with you?" Karin's coach said from beside her.

Yuzu looked up at her and blinked. "Oh, Coach. Nothing, really."

"It doesn't look like nothing," Coach Shihōin said and sat down beside her on the grass. "You look down in the mouth and your sister is kicking the ball like it personally offended her something fierce. So, tell me what's going on?"

Yuzu swallowed and sighed. "Our brother. He just does everything for us, and he tries so hard. He does what he can, you know? But even then it isn't enough. He lost one of his jobs recently, and he doesn't think we know that he did, but we do." Yuzu felt tears start to build in her eyes. "Karin thinks I don't understand what's going on but I know. I can see it. Anaki is going out with this guy, and I think Karin doesn't like him."

"What makes you say that?" the coach asked, tilting her head to the side, dark purple hair falling over her shoulder from her high ponytail.

"He comes and picks up Anaki to take him out. When he does, he brings us food. And I think Karin thinks that he's just going out with him because of that…" Yuzu said with a sigh.

"You're living with your brother, aren't you?"

Yuzu looked up and stared at her with wide eyes. "What… No, I mean, it isn't… I…"

The coach sighed and patted her on the back. "It's alright. I suspected it already just from talking to your sister."

"What are you going to do?" Yuzu asked nervously.

"You know I can't ignore it," Coach Shihōin explained. "You're supposed to be living with your foster parents. I thought something was up when your brother came to parent/teacher conferences. How long have you been living with him?"

Yuzu sighed. "Four months."

"You've been happier since then," she noticed. Yuzu looked up at her and nodded. "Why don't you want to live with your foster parents?"

"She does bad things…" Yuzu said quietly, rubbing her arm without thinking of it.

"Does she hurt you or your sister?"

Yuzu burst into tears, unable to hold it any longer. She dropped her head into her hands and the coach put her arm around her. Yuzu couldn't help it anymore.

"Ichi-nii can't keep going like this to take care of us," she sobbed. "He's trying so hard, but he doesn't even eat most the time because he doesn't want us to go hungry, and he works all the time that he's not going to school. He can't just keep doing it!"

"Yuzu!" she heard and looked up to see Karin standing there with the soccer ball in her hands. She was staring at her sister. "What…"

Karin stopped, locking eyes with her coach. "You told."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!" she said with tears still streaming from her eyes.

Karin didn't say anything she just sighed. "I'm surprised that you kept it a secret this long," she murmured.

"Karin, Yuzu, you should come with me to the office," the coach said and stood up, extending a hand for Yuzu. "You don't have to be afraid."

But they were, especially since they knew their real father was back. What would become of them now?


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Isane Kotetsu wasn't sure what she expected when she was connected to a call about one of her cases. She didn't expect for it to be the Kurosaki twins.

"Isane here," she answered.

"I'm Yoruichi Shihōin at the school," came a woman's voice on the line. "I was calling about Yuzu and Karin Kurosaki."

"Yes, they're one of my cases. What is it that you needed to talk to me about?" she wondered.

"Well, I found out through the girls that they haven't been living with their foster parents, and have been instead living with their brother. The reason they gave is because their foster mother has been abusive toward them."

Isane sighed. Her day just got several times more complicated. "They told you this themselves?"

"Yuzu let it slip and I confirmed it with them," Yoruichi responded.

Isane wished she could say she was surprised. After the previous concern report she had received, and their unusual presentation at the house during the visit, she had been suspicious. She didn't expect them to have actually started living with their brother. She couldn't imagine how the young man was supporting three people.

"I'll be there to pick them up," Isane said and set up where to go so she could meet with them.

She arrived at the school to find both girls looking positively destitute and quiet. She smiled sadly, nodding to the woman who had called her. She knelt in front of where the two girls were sitting.

"Please, we want to help you. I'm not going to do anything that harms you. If your home is bad for you, then we need to fix it. You don't have to stay with someone that mistreats you," she said softly.

"No one's ever done anything before!" Karin snapped. "Nothing was ever founded even though I know the teachers had to be suspicious of Ichigo in school. He was hurt all the time."

Isane sighed and nodded. "I know it seems like things haven't worked before, but your brother isn't capable of taking care of two teenagers. He's barely out of high school himself."

Karin glared at her and then looked away. "But we'd rather stay with him than with Bambietta."

"I know. But we can take you back to the main house for tonight. Come on," she stood up and beaconed for them to come with her. "I'll put in a call to your foster mother and we can see if we can't work out something. Perhaps going back to your father is for the best after all."

"He left us," Karin growled as she stood up, putting an arm around Yuzu as she rose beside her.

Isane got them both into her car and took them to the orphanage that served as the main house for the foster kids in the area. She spoke to someone inside and then they were taken to a room. Luckily, they were allowed to keep their things, so they had their phones on them.

Karin swallowed hard and looked at Yuzu as she held her phone. "We have to tell him."

"He'll be expecting us to be home soon," Yuzu confirmed with a sigh. "Tell him I'm sorry."

Karin nodded, dialing Ichigo's number numbly. "Hello, Karin?" came his worried sounding voice.

"Yuzu let it slip. She's sorry but we're at the orphanage again tonight. That caseworker woman, Isane, she's going to try and figure out some way we don't have to go back to that house," Karin rushed through the explanation, not wanting to draw it out more than necessary.

Ichigo was quiet for a minute, and Karin could hear him breathing. "It's okay. I didn't know how long we could keep going anyway."

"My coach was already suspicious after you came to parent/teacher conferences. I think she's known for a while that something is going on." Karin wasn't sure how Ichigo would take thing, but she hoped he didn't blame himself. He'd done everything to take care of them in the last four months.

"As long as you're safe tonight, I won't worry. Have the caseworker call me, or you call me, when you know something."

"She mentioned our real father. You don't think they'd just hand us back over to him, do you?" Karin was sure that they wouldn't just suddenly give them to another person without some sort of period of checking him out… right?

Ichigo was silent for a moment. "I don't know what they'll do."

"But now you don't have to go out with that Grimmjow guy anymore!" she stated strongly.

"What? What's that got to do with it?" he asked, obviously confused by the sudden statement.

"You're only going out with him because he buys us food, so now you won't have to do it anymore."

"That-that's not true, Karin. I-I like Grimmjow, at least now I do," he muttered the last.

Karin looked at Yuzu and sighed. "But it didn't start out that way and I know it!"

Ichigo didn't deny it. "Look, that's between me and him, not you two," he groused, obviously getting irritated now by the way the conversation had turned. "Who I date…" he caught himself.

"See, I knew it, you keep saying you're just going out with him as a friend, but it isn't and I knew it!" Karin said, irritation creeping into her own voice.

"It doesn't matter, either way. That's not what's important right now. Figuring out what happens to you is what's important."

Karin didn't want to let it go though. "You've done things you didn't want to do for us, haven't you?" she demanded. "You've done things that you wouldn't have to do if it weren't for your trying to take care of us!"

She heard Ichigo nearly choke and snarled under her breath. She knew it. "Listen, I don't have to have this kind of discussion with my fourteen-year-old sister!"

"Why not!? We're closer than most siblings, so why shouldn't you discuss this with us? Especially since it concerns us?" She was feeling quite annoyed by his reluctance to discuss the issue that she felt was the most important thing right at this moment. Ichigo had sacrificed a lot for them, and she was just realizing the scope of what he would do to make sure they were taken care of. "You start dating a guy who is an obvious player, with his fancy car and his fancy foods he buys us, and the only reason you did it was because of us. You give up too much for us, Ichi-nii."

He was quiet, and she heard him sigh on the other end. "Look, I do like Grimmjow. And yeah, at first it was just a ticket to get a free meal from him, but that's changed, and he's asked me to keep going out with him, and I told him yes, so that's the end of that," he stated the last with finality. "My love life isn't something you need to concern yourself with."

"So, this is about your love life?" she asked, growing a little angrier as Ichigo talked. If Grimmjow had done anything to her brother…

Ichigo huffed a sigh and was quiet for a second. "Yeah, and I don't need to get approval on it."

Karin didn't know how to respond to that. She growled under her breath and then decided that making Ichigo angry wasn't going to do any good. "It's only because I'm worried. You'll do whatever you feel like you have to take care of us. You work yourself to death and still manage school, and something happened with the landlord that you won't talk about."

Ichigo gasped a little on the other end and Karin knew she was right. "So, yeah, I'm going to concern myself with it. Because the only reason you got involved with Grimmjow was because of us."

"That's not true, I wouldn't have gone out with him if I didn't want to!"

Karin didn't believe him. "You've never gone out with anyone. Why this guy all of a sudden?"

"He just asked, that was all! It isn't like I was looking for anyone, it just happened. And didn't I already say I wasn't going to discuss this any further?" he said, exasperated sigh escaping him into the phone.

"Well, anyway, we'll see what happens tomorrow," she said and tried to calm herself down. Talking to Ichigo only made her more worried now about what he'd been doing. "I'll call you when we know something."

"Okay, I'll be waiting. I'll keep my phone on in class so call me as soon as you know something. Try and get some sleep tonight if you can," he said before he clicked off.

Karin put her phone down, still angry. Yuzu looked at her and sighed. "You're angry at him?"

"No, I'm angry at the situation. He's treating us like we don't understand what's happening. We're fourteen, not four. I know the kind of guy that Grimmjow is, and he isn't the type to be after a long term relationship. He wants one thing, and if I find out that he's taken advantage of Ichigo, I'm going to hurt him," Karin frowned because she was about ninety percent sure now that there was more than dates going on between Ichigo and Grimmjow.

"You don't think he would hurt Anaki?" Yuzu said, face turning a bit worried.

"Not as long as he gives him what he wants," Karin muttered and ran a hand over her head. "The question is, now that Ichigo doesn't need him, what will he do?"

"But Karin, what if he does like this guy?" Yuzu asked, picking at her skirt without much thought.

Karin was quiet for a moment. "Then he's in trouble because guys like that are no good."

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Ichigo put the phone down and fell back into futon. This was bad. He had no idea what to do now. He didn't want to be alone tonight, though. He picked his phone up and texted Grimmjow.

 _Are you busy?_

He didn't expect an answer right away, so he was surprised when before a couple minutes passed, he got a response.

 _No, just hanging out with my parents at home._

Should he ask him to come over? He swallowed and decided he probably would say no. _Things have kind of went to hell and I'm alone tonight._

 _Went to hell? What happened?_

Ichigo licked his lips and wondered how much he wanted to say on text. _Just with my sisters. Long story._

There was a longer pause and Ichigo wondered if he was going to answer. _Sit tight. I'll be over._

Ichigo blinked at the phone and wondered what that meant. He had been contemplating his relationship with Grimmjow lately and he wasn't sure how to define it. The date they'd gone out to the movies had been nice and a real date. It also was something normal. He was so exhausted. He just laid there, sprawled across the futon and dozing off. The knock on the door startled him awake and he sat up. He got up and answered it.

"Hey," Grimmjow said, giving him a smirk.

Once again, Ichigo felt his defenses lowering around him because of that damn smirk. He swallowed dryly. "Hey. Come in," he said with a small smile. He stepped back and let him in. Grimmjow came in and pulled off his jacket to put on the hook by the door. Ichigo went and flopped back onto the futon and put his hands between his knees.

"So, what's up?" Grimmjow said and came to sit down beside him.

"The girls got found out by their caseworker," he admitted, slowly running a hand over his too long hair. "Yuzu let it slip to Karin's coach, and she called it in. So, they've been taken to the orphanage for the night."

"That sucks," Grimmjow said as he nodded. "Are you okay?"

Ichigo turned toward him and shook his head. "No. After everything I've done, everything I've tried to do, it was all for nothing. Does it even matter what I've done? I did everything right, didn't I?" he asked, doubting everything all of a sudden.

Grimmjow put an arm around his shoulders and squeezed him. "You did good," he told him. "You took care of your sisters the best you could."

"Not good enough, though," he stated. He looked at Grimmjow and felt the sting of tears behind his eyes. It was all falling apart. "I don't even know why I texted you. It isn't your problem."

"Hey, don't do that. I told you I wanted to try the relationship thing. Being there when something happens is a part of that, isn't it?" Grimmjow squeezed him against his side again.

Ichigo licked his lips dryly. "But I've done things…"

"What do you mean, 'things'?" he repeated, frowning at him.

"To stay here. You're going to think I'm terrible, and you'll never want to have anything to do with me again," Ichigo put his hands in his hair and shook his head into them.

"Why would I think you're terrible? What are you talking about?"

Ichigo pulled his hands down his face and looked at him. "The landlord. He threatened to turn us in, and I had to do something."

"'Something'?" Grimmjow frowned, leaning back a little. "Did that guy threaten you into doing something you wouldn't have done?"

Ichigo covered his face and nodded into his hands. How could he face Grimmjow now? He was disgusting for what he'd done. And it had been for nothing in the end because they'd been found out anyway. He waited for Grimmjow to say something, anything, but when he didn't say anything, he began to worry more. He picked his head up out of his hands. What he saw surprised him. Grimmjow didn't look disgusted or angry like he expected. However, he still didn't speak and Ichigo felt the tears that had been threatening since Karin called him start to leak down his cheeks. He angrily pushed them away with his fists.

"Say something," he said finally. He couldn't take his silence.

"What do you want me to say? I've never been in this sort of situation. I don't know how I'm supposed to feel. I'm angry, I know that," Grimmjow said and tilted his head to the side.

"You should be," Ichigo said, looking away. "It's disgusting, and you should probably leave."

"I'm not angry at you, dumbass," Grimmjow said with a sigh, turning toward him with an exasperated look on his face. "I'm angry at that sleazy landlord for taking advantage of someone who didn't have any choice. He's a scum and if I ever see him, I'm going to punch his face in."

Ichigo turned toward him with wet eyes and saw something he didn't expect looking back at him. "How can you be okay with what I did?"

"What you did? You did what you thought you had to do to take care of your sisters. Just like working yourself to death at two shitty jobs while yer tryin' to go to school at the same time. Tomorrow, yer moving out of this dump and coming with me to my place. My family won't care, and you can't stay in this place any longer," Grimmjow growled out.

Ichigo just stared at him. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He wasn't disgusted with him? He wasn't turning him away?

"I can't just leave, the girls' stuff, my things," he tried.

"Bullshit. How much stuff can you possibly have that ya wanna keep?" Grimmjow asked, crossing his arms and glaring at him. "You don't have that many clothes. I think I've seen you wear the same clothes lotsa times. I bet the girls don't have that much either."

Ichigo licked his lips and worried the bottom. "But…"

"No buts. You can't stay here with that bastard taking advantage of ya like this. That man's a sleaze ball, and I can tell you that already. Men like him are the lowest form of life on the planet," Grimmjow told him and then squeezed his shoulder with his hand. "You aren't gonna put up with it."

Ichigo swallowed and wondered if he could really do this. "But your parents…"

"They won't care. I've been thinking of moving out on my own anyway, so you can come with me when I do. Until then, you can stay there at the house." Grimmjow spoke like it was no big deal at all.

"I don't know…" Ichigo whispered. How could he just up and move in with some guy he'd been dating like two weeks?

"Ya worried about what now?" Grimmjow asked as he looked at him.

"Just, we haven't been together very long, and you don't know me that well, and how can you trust someone like me just out of the blue like this?" Ichigo wondered as he looked at him.

"I'm asking you to trust me, too, you know," Grimmjow reminded him.

Ichigo supposed that was right. "But I can't pay for anything…"

"Don't worry about it. I'll take care of things for now. My parents won't care as long as I say it's what I want to do." Grimmjow seemed very confident in what he was talking about.

Ichigo didn't know how to react. All of it was so sudden. "I don't know…I need to think," he said as he got up slowly. "I-I need to think about this. Just let me think," he said and headed for the door.

Grimmjow got up to follow him and Ichigo held up his hand. "No, you stay here. I'm just going to clear my head. Just…stay here."

Ichigo went out the door and stood with his back against it from the outside. His breath was coming in quick pants and he didn't know what to think right then. Grimmjow was asking him to do something rash and he wanted to do it so bad he could taste it. To be anywhere but here… He started walking as he thought and ended up at Grimmjow's car before he knew it. He walked around it, running a hand over the curves. He was impressed by Grimmjow's wealth and having such a nice car was part of it. But was he thinking of living with him just to improve his situation, or did he really have feelings for him?

"I said, hey," came a voice from behind him. He turned around, spotting a group of three unfamiliar guys standing there. The one that spoke had a faded undercut hairstyle and was a little taller than the other two. The other two stood slightly back behind him.

"Um, hey?" Ichigo answered. He swallowed and looked from them back to his apartment door.

"Nice car. Yours?" the guy asked. "Nah, not the way your dressed. This ain't yer car."

Ichigo shook his head. "N-no. My friend's car. What do you want?"

"Now that isn't very nice," one of the other two, one with long hair pulled back at the base of his neck. "We're just making conversation."

Ichigo didn't like the odds of three against one. He had always avoided conflict when he could so he didn't get in trouble with Bambietta for something else. If things had been different, though, he had always wanted to get into martial arts. But that time was past, and he was stuck being without that kind of skill now.

"Yeah, conversation," Ichigo muttered as they moved closer. "Look, I gotta go…" he started.

The first one reached out and grabbed him, slamming him back into Grimmjow's car with a thump. Thankfully, the alarm didn't go off. "Nah, you ain't leavin'. Wasn't done. Your friend looks rich with a car like that. And I've heard that this nice piece of machinery had been showing up here. I thought maybe some chick in the building had herself a sugar daddy. Now I'm surprised to find out it ain't some chick, but some faggot."

Now Ichigo did get worried. His eyes widened, and he thought about dashing for the door to get Grimmjow's help. The guy leaned closer and Ichigo was trapped between them and the car.

"Look, I don't want any trouble…" Ichigo tried desperately.

"Well, you got it," the one that Ichigo knew was the leader of this little group growled at him. He was far too close for comfort. "See, I don't like there to be your kind in _my_ building. It might rub off like the disease that it is. So, tell me, which are you? The pitcher or the catcher, huh?"

"Wh-what do you care?" Ichigo blurted, instantly regretting even saying anything to these guys.

"He's a pussy boy," the third guy said, laughing low in his throat. "Haven't you seen the guy that owns the car?"

"See, I can understand the pitcher," the first one said with a grin, still pressing far too close to Ichigo for his liking. "I've fucked a chick in the ass before, and I guess it ain't much different for fucking another dude, but the catcher? Really? To like taking it up the ass? Now that I can't understand…"

Ichigo swallowed nervously. He was going to get his ass kicked if he didn't get away from these guys. He couldn't defend himself against all three of them. He was about to try and dash for the door when he heard another voice.

"Yo, what's going on here?"

Ichigo looked over to see Shinji and his group walking toward him. He exhaled and hoping Shinji understood he needed their help.

"Just having a chat," the first one said, glaring at Shinji and glancing over the others that were with him. The one with long brown hair was there, and so was the one with the afro. Ichigo couldn't remember their names at the moment. But it at least evened the odds against him. He was still boxed in.

"Yeah, well, he don't look into yer chat," Shinji said and crossed his arms over his chest. "Thought ya agreed not to come to this side of the building. It's our turf, not yours."

"Well, look here at this pretty little car. We had to come check it out," the first one said, backing up a little and giving Ichigo room to breathe.

"Don't care, but ya ain't sposed to be on this side of the building. It causes problems between your boys and my people," Shinji said as he walked up to the front of Grimmjow's car.

The first one snorted loudly. "What do you care about my chat with this pansy ass fag? I'll talk to who I like and I don't like him."

Ichigo gave a glance over to Shinji. He didn't know how he'd react to that. Shinji frowned and glanced behind him. Shinji stepped a little closer.

"Well, I like him fine, so ya need to step off."

"What, are you a dick sucker, too?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Ain't none of yer business what I do with my sex life, and ain't none of yer business what he does. Get the fuck outta here before we teach you why you need to stay on yer side of the building," Shinji menacingly stepped forward again, this time with the others stepping forward with him.

"Whatever. He lives over here. Watch yerself, Shinji. You might catch the gay from him if ya don't already have it," the first one said, spinning on his heel and walking back the other way. The other two followed him, the one with long hair turning to flip Ichigo off as he went.

"You okay?" Shinji asked as he came up closer to the car.

"Yeah, just a little shaken," Ichigo said with a long look at the retreating trio.

"Those guys are assholes," Shinji said and patted Ichigo on the shoulder.

"They're making Grimmjow's offer sound better," he mumbled, sighing.

"Offer?" Shinji asked. "What did he offer you?"

Ichigo looked at him and wondered if he would think he was crazy to consider moving in with a guy like this. "Just to come stay with him instead of this shitty place."

Rose, Ichigo remembered his name now, smiled and glanced at Shinji. "That's an offer that's hard to refuse. Getting out of here would be good for you, especially now that you're on _their_ radar."

Ichigo nodded. "But I don't know if I should take his offer. Won't I be taking advantage of him?"

"Depends. Do you like the guy or you just after him for his money?" Shinji asked with a shrug. "That'll tell you if yer taking advantage of him. But I recommend getting outta this place if ya can. Even if you are just after him for the money. Watch yerself, okay?" Shinji waved and walked back over to their spot along the fence, leaving Ichigo at the car.

Ichigo sighed, mulling over it. How did he feel about Grimmjow? He liked him. And if he only stayed with him until he found another place, he wouldn't be taking advantage of him that much. He nodded to himself and headed back to the apartment.

He opened the door and found Grimmjow sitting on the futon with his phone. He looked up as he came in.

"You do some thinking?" he asked. "I was about to come see if ya got lost out there."

"Um, yeah. I guess, I mean, I suppose if it's okay with your parents, I could stay with you for a short time. Just until I find a new place. And a new job," Ichigo said. He came over and sat down beside him.

"Well, I called them while you were outside, and they said it was okay with them." Grimmjow smiled at him and reached out to take his hand.

Ichigo stared at his hand and then sighed. "I feel weird about it though."

"Don't," Grimmjow told him. "It's too late to do anything today, so why don't we stay here tonight, then tomorrow we can take your things and go to my place."

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah, I'm too tired to think tonight."

"But are you too tired to enjoy your first sleepover?" Grimmjow asked. Ichigo flushed and shook his head. "Good, because I have plans for this surprise alone time…" he told him and leaned in to kiss his lips gently.

Ichigo leaned up in response, closing his eyes and just letting the gentle sensation come over him. He needed to think about anything else besides what was going on in his life. He needed to forget about the girls. Forget about the landlord. Forget about the guys he'd run into outside. He needed this. He needed just a moment where the rest of the world didn't exist anymore.

He felt Grimmjow's tongue lick out at the seam of his mouth and he opened to let him come in. He didn't expect the sudden ferocity as Grimmjow deepened the kiss and grabbed onto his body, pulling him closer. He opened his eyes, panting as Grimmjow broke away, looking at him with those brilliant blue eyes.

"I brought something to try," he said finally. "I thought you might enjoy it."

"You planned this the whole time," Ichigo sighed, feeling Grimmjow's fingers at the bottom of his shirt.

"Well, yeah," Grimmjow muttered against the now damp skin of his neck before he slipped his t-shirt up and over his head. He then pulled his own shirt off and once again, Ichigo was amazed by his body. He knew he was a soccer player, but he had to work a lot to keep in shape. His fingers danced over the hard muscles of his chest and stomach. Grimmjow returned the gesture and slipped his hands up Ichigo's sides, thin as he was. "You'll have to turn over," he whispered against him, leaning forward to lick at his dusky nipple lightly.

Ichigo frowned, not sure what he was intending to do, but he let out a strangled sound as Grimmjow undid the belt in front and slipped the jeans and shorts off his too thin frame. He shivered at the sudden exposure but he was soon pushed down, face in his hands as he felt Grimmjow sliding his fingers over his ass, squeezing him as he moved.

"What are you…" he started, but then he felt something warm and wet against him and he nearly chocked. "No, don't that's…" he started but descended into a low moan because Grimmjow's tongue was _inside_ and he didn't know what to do about it. He huffed heavy breaths into his arms and felt his finger slide into him before his tongue was back on him again. How could something like this feel so amazing, he thought…

It was different than the heated, quick times they'd had sex. Grimmjow wasn't hurrying them along and seemed intent on making him feel everything.

"Hmm, you seem to like that," Grimmjow said, licking at him again.

Ichigo couldn't articulate an answer to that as he felt him resume tonguing him. He felt his legs quivering under the sensations. He jerked as Grimmjow's hand slid between his legs and gripped him tightly. He whimpered and bit his knuckle to keep from making the noises that threatened to emerge from his lips.

He felt his fingers replace his tongue, sliding deep inside and brushing that spot that made everything explode in even more sensation. He did let out a pent up moan this time and heard Grimmjow chuckle a little behind him.

"I didn't know I would like this as much as I do," Grimmjow muttered, twisting his hand and resting it flush against Ichigo. "I've never stopped to play around like this, even with the chicks. They're always down to fuck right away, and I never get a chance to do something like this."

Ichigo felt his face heat, burn actually, as he hid it in his arms. "Here, turn back this way," Grimmjow told him, fingers sliding against him a couple times, then slipping out of him with a wet sound.

He turned around and saw that Grimmjow had pulled himself free of his pants and he stared at him. He wasn't small, and if he expected him to put that in his mouth… He expected him to grab his hair or something and push him, but instead he cupped his face and leaned toward him, kissing his lips as he stroked him.

"If you want, I think it would be nice," Grimmjow muttered against his lips. "Not all the way, just a little…" he whispered.

Ichigo nodded dropping down to lay down between his knees and took him into his mouth slowly. Grimmjow let out a pleased sound and he continued. He leaned down, taking as much of him as he could without gagging. He tried to force it further but came up again, eyes watering. He went back down, hoping he was doing a good job. He felt Grimmjow's hands in his hair but it was gentle, stroking his head, not harsh. He tasted salty and not too strong, He looked up with his eyes and found him watching him intently.

"Good, good… that's a good boy," he mumbled, stroking his head with a soft look on his face.

Ichigo felt what blood remained rush south at his words. Why did those words do that to him? Suddenly, he wanted nothing more but to make Grimmjow go off again and again just so he'd tell him what a good boy he was again.

"You like that?" Grimmjow smirked, stroking Ichigo's head and placing his hand under his chin where he was drooling in an attempt to keep Grimmjow's hardness inside his mouth. "Yeah, you like that. "Here, that's enough or I'm going to cum down yer throat. While that would be nice, I'd rather fuck you."

Ichigo moved back and Grimmjow fished into his pocket and pulled out a condom and another packet. Ichigo frowned at that, wondering what that was.

"Here, lay back," Grimmjow said and Ichigo laid on his back on the futon as he slid the condom on himself. Then he took the other packet and tore it open with his teeth, squeezing something onto his hand before sliding two of his fingers back into him. He arched because it felt cold and slick, and now the room smelled like chocolate. "I picked these up on a whim, thought I'd try a few our and see how you liked them."

Ichigo didn't know what he was doing, but it felt nice, his fingers sliding easily in and out of him. Grimmjow then moved between his legs and pressed against him. Ichigo felt the rush and the moment Grimmjow slid into him with such ease he lost it. He quickly covered his face with his hands, embarrassed already. Instead he heard Grimmjow chuckle.

"You came when I put it in?" he asked. "Tsk, now, I wasn't done with you yet. You want to be a good boy, right?" he said as he slid back and forth smoothly. It seemed to rub against his prostate directly as he huffed out a breath and muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Grimmjow asked, stilling his movements.

Ichigo had already become aroused again, just from him sliding inside him. "Please," he said a little louder.

"Please, what?" Grimmjow teased, pausing his hips to stroke Ichigo between them. "If you don't tell me what you want, I can't do it."

Ichigo's face was on fire as he laid there, legs over Grimmjow's thighs. He felt his body enter some sort of heightened state when every touch felt like fire on his skin. "F-fuck me…" he whimpered finally. "Please, just fuck me!" he gasped out, grabbing Grimmjow's arms.

"Oh, okay," Grimmjow said and started thrusting into him, leaning over and caging him beneath his body. Ichigo arched and reached up, grabbing his back and digging in his nails without meaning to. He heard Grimmjow hiss as he leaned down and latched onto his collarbone, teeth scraping against the flesh there. Ichigo gasped and threw his head back, biting down on his bottom lip to stifle the sounds. The walls were thin, so he couldn't be loud. He couldn't help feeling Grimmjow move inside him. He was holding on, already about to crest again.

Grimmjow licked from his collarbone up to his ear, nibbling on the lobe there and then whispering, "That's a good boy, why don't you cum for me?"

Ichigo stifled a moan that threatened to come out of him at a good volume. Grimmjow leaned down, kissing him through it as he came between them, then Grimmjow thrust into him a few times deep and hard until he found his own release. The kiss turned languid as both of them panted, breathing coming down from the frantic pace it had been at. He felt Grimmjow slide out and he felt decidedly empty all of a sudden and he clutched his body tightly again, feeling dampness on Grimmjow's back. He blinked and saw his hands were red.

"Oh, my gods, I scratched you," he gasped out as Grimmjow slowly sat up.

Ichigo grabbed his shirt and began to wipe them both clean. The room still smelled of the chocolate smell that had come from whatever Grimmjow had used. He was coming back down from whatever headspace he'd been in slowly. He shuddered finally, a cold chill running up his back. Grimmjow, noting the shudder put an arm around him gently and squeezed.

"So, I think my research was successful," Grimmjow muttered against Ichigo's neck. He shivered in response to his languid kissing and sucking along there.

"R-research?" Ichigo asked.

"Hmm, I looked up some information and stopped at a special store. And it gave me some ideas for fun things we can do," he paused to scrape his teeth over his collarbone again.

"There's that kind of information out there?" he whispered, turning a shade redder.

Grimmjow chuckled. "Hmm, that and more, since you want to be a good boy, huh?"

Again, Ichigo shivered at the words and felt his face flush again. "Yeah," he breathed and Grimmjow captured him in another kiss.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Ichigo groaned when his phone went off. He blinked wearily and grabbed it blindly. "Hello?"

"Ichi-nii, shouldn't you be already headed to the school?" Karin's voice came over the phone.

He looked at the time on the phone and saw that it was close to time to catch the bus, but then he recalled last night and the warm body beside him moved to roll over and blink at him. "I'll be fine, what do you need?" he said as he sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"We're meeting with our real father this afternoon. We want you to be there, too," Karin explained as Ichigo patted the floor beside the futon looking for his shorts and jeans.

"Yeah, that's fine, just tell me where and I'll be there," he said as he held the phone on his shoulder and shimmied into his shorts and jeans. He hopped up and buttoned them. He didn't have time for a shower even with Grimmjow driving them.

"Alright," Karin said and gave him an address. He wrote it down on a pad in the kitchen and tore it off.

"Three o'clock," he confirmed and Karin responded in the affirmative on the other end.

Grimmjow was getting into his own clothes while he talked on the phone, hopefully having noticed the time already. "Alright, look, I might have to get a ride from Grimmjow," he said with a cringe as he met the other man's eyes across the room.

"What? Why?" Karin snapped immediately.

"Because that's the only way I will get there on time. I can't count on the bus to be at the right time to stop off near to there. So be nice while he's there!" he responded.

"Whatever," she said and the phone went dead.

Ichigo sighed. Grimmjow came into the kitchen and grabbed his hips, turning him around. He leaned down and kissed him on the lips lightly and Ichigo didn't let him go any further.

"I haven't brushed yet; I've got morning breath!" he complained.

"I had my tongue in your ass last night; I think I can handle morning breath," he said and grinned at hi.

Ichigo sighed and let him deepen the kiss anyway. What was he going to do with him? He turned into a puddle of clay at his hands. When he leaned back, Ichigo sighed.

"I gotta get a shirt," he said and turned to walk away.

Grimmjow took the chance and slapped him hard on the ass, getting a shocked expression as he turned around, face heating up. "Hmm, we may have to try that next," Grimmjow said with a wicked smirk.


	7. Chapter 7

Ichigo wasn't sure what to think about meeting his father again after almost ten years. He couldn't concentrate on anything during his classes. Afterward, he waited for Grimmjow in the front area to meet up so he could take him to the meeting. His stomach was doing flips and he didn't know what the rest of the day would hold, but he would be seeing his _father_ and he had to be strong for the girls. He sat on the edge of the chair, chin in his hands with his elbows propped up on his knees. He nearly yelped when someone put a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh," he muttered, standing up and pulling the strap on his bag tight.

"You ready?" Grimmjow asked with a serious expression.

"Not really," he sighed and followed Grimmjow to his car.

"You don't really have to go," Grimmjow reminded him as they both got into the car.

Ichigo swallowed dryly. "I do, for my sisters."

Grimmjow nodded and took off toward the address. It wasn't that far, and they got there about fifteen minutes early. He looked at the building for the family services and remembered being here before, when he was little. "Okay, let's go," he said finally.

Grimmjow got out and stuffed his hands in his jeans. "I can stay here if you want."

Ichigo shook his head. "No, I think I'm going to need the extra support," he mumbled.

They went into the building and found their way to the third floor. Everything looked the same in the place, door after door, and just blank walls. The room number was 340, so it was toward the back of the place. He knocked on it the door nervously. The door opened to reveal the case worker.

"Ah, Ichigo, you did make it. Come in, have a seat. Um, your friend can sit along the wall there," she said, indicating some chairs on the wall beside the table.

Ichigo nodded and sat down where Grimmjow could sit behind him. Grimmjow did so without comment. Isane sat down and went through some paperwork and then looked over at Ichigo. "Your sisters will be here shortly. And then your father and his fiancée will hopefully be along before too long."

"He has a fiancée?" Ichigo asked as the door opened again to reveal Karin and Yuzu.

"Ichigo!" Yuzu said and came around to grab him in a hug. Karin was glaring openly at Grimmjow.

"Why's he here?" Karin asked as she sat down across the table from Ichigo. Yuzu sat down beside him.

"I asked him to come with me," Ichigo said with a sigh as there came another knock at the door.

Isane stood up. "Now, please, your father is going to explain himself. I know you are all wondering what he will tell you."

She opened the door and Ichigo watched as a man he recognized immediately stood there, staring at them for a moment. He was tall with black hair and with him was a woman with long lighter brown hair down her back. She held his hand as they walked in and sat down at the end of the table.

"Alright," Isane said as she looked around. "We're all here. I'm here just as an observer, so please, you may talk as you like."

Ichigo swallowed as he made eye contact with his father.

"Ichigo, you've grown up," he said and looked at him. "So have you, Karin, Yuzu."

"Oh, stop the act." Karin crossed her arms and glared at the pair of them. "You came here because you wanted to see us. You saw us. Can we go now?"

Isane sighed. "Karin, please, give your father a chance to speak for himself."

"I don't want to be here. I want to live with Ichigo, not with anyone else," she said, staring at the table in front of her. "We were fine where we were."

Isane sighed deeply. "We've been over this. Your brother is not capable of taking care of the two of you. He does not have a large enough apartment, and he does not have the financial stability that is necessary. There is nothing to be done about it."

Ichigo sighed. He supposed if he'd gotten a better job and a better place they could have stayed with him. That was impossible. There was no way he could have done any better.

"I don't care," Karin growled and kept looking down.

"Please, Karin, don't be like this," Yuzu said from across the table.

"I owe you all an explanation," Ichigo's father said. Ichigo thought his name was Isshin if he remembered correctly. "I know it has been nearly ten years, but I've been working to get to a point that I could come back to you. After your mother died, I was in a bad place. I got into drinking and I wasn't capable of taking care of myself, let alone anyone else." He stopped. "I've practiced this for the last week, you know. What I would say to you. Nothing sounds right. I'm sorry, deeply sorry, that I couldn't take care of you for this long. It was only in the last year that I've gotten to a good place. I just had my one year anniversary with alcoholics anonymous. I also asked Rangiku here to marry me."

"Oh!" Yuzu said and smiled at them, clapping a little. Isshin smiled at her. "Congratulations!"

"Yuzu!" Karin snapped.

Yuzu shrugged and looked back at her hands. "I can't help it, Karin. I want to work this out with our father. It has to be better than living with Bambietta."

Karin crossed her arms over her chest and snorted. "That's why we should live with Ichigo."

"Karin, you know now that it won't work. I'm going to get out of that terrible apartment, too. We can't go on like that," Ichigo said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Karin said and glared up at him. "What do you mean, you're leaving the apartment?"

"I'm staying with Grimmjow until I find a better place," Ichigo told her and saw her eyes widen.

"You're kidding me!" she exploded. "You can't be serious! You can't just move in with some guy you've been with for like a week!"

"More like three weeks," Ichigo muttered. "And it is better than that crappy apartment."

Karin glared at him. "You can't do this, Ichigo," she glared at Grimmjow behind him. "You should have left us alone!" she said.

"Leave Grimmjow out of it," Ichigo told her, feeling like he needed to get this back to what they came here for. "That's not what we're here to talk about anyway."

Karin glared for a minute then looked at Isshin. "So, you're telling us that we should forgive you because you became a drunk and dumped us off at an orphanage?"

"I know it isn't what you expected, but it is my only excuse. I can't lie to you now," he told them and looked between them. "I came back after I had a stable job at the hospital and a house large enough to take you back in."

Ichigo nodded. "I think you should consider it, Karin, Yuzu. It would be better for you and if he's working as a doctor again, he can take care of you."

"I have enough room that you could stay with me, too, Ichigo," Isshin said softly.

"No, I'm going to live on my own, still. I can't move in with you," Ichigo said with a shake of his head. "I'll find my own way, and you can take care of the girls."

"Ichigo!" Karin exclaimed as she stared at him. "You'd rather live with _him_ than come live with us if we go live with this guy!"

"I'm fine on my own. You guys need to think about yourselves. I have a job already and will be able to get my own place again soon," he said with a smile at her. He didn't want to live with their father. No matter what his excuse was, he didn't want to be there. He wanted the girls taken care of, and if he was a doctor again, he would be able to take on their care easily.

"Ichigo! The only reason you even went out with _him_ was because of us! Don't you see, you don't have to be with him anymore!" Karin growled out across the table. "You can just move in with us and then when you get a better place, we'll move out with you again!"

Ichigo knew she didn't mean to be hurtful, but she was. "I think it is for the best that you live with our father and I'll be on my own. I've taken care of you two as much as I can, and now you deserve a better life than I could give you," Ichigo explained, staring at his hands. "I tried to get you out of that house, and we did okay for a while, but I'm in college now. I have to stand on my own."

"But you're not. You're just using Grimmjow to get out of that crappy apartment, and you don't have to anymore!" she said and stood up, turning and walking out the door.

Ichigo watched her go, shoulder's slumped. Grimmjow put his hand on his shoulder from behind and Ichigo covered it with his own hand. He missed the look he was getting from Isshin and Rangiku.

Rangiku stood up and went to the door as Isane was about to go after Karin. "I'll try and talk to her," she said and opened the door.

Out in the hallway, Karin hadn't gone far. She was leaning against the wall, obviously angry, and Rangiku couldn't blame her. She had a lot to be angry about. Rangiku walked up to her and smiled at her as best she could.

"You know you're hurting him with your words."

Karin looked up at her with rageful eyes. "I don't care. He won't listen to me."

"Why does Ichigo's choice make you so mad?" Rangiku wondered out loud.

"Because, the only reason he's with that guy is because of us! He started seeing him, and he would buy us dinner when they went out! So the only reason he was even dating him was because of us, but now he acts like he has to stay with him! It's a way for him to get out of the crappy apartment, and that's it! He needs to stop and take a better option than some player like that!" Karin huffed a sigh, feeling a little better for saying it out loud all at once. "That guy's taking advantage of Ichigo, and I know it."

Rangiku sighed and shook her head. "You don't realize what you're saying."

"What do you mean?" Karin growled and looked up at her.

"You keep saying Ichigo is only dating this guy for what he can get. You're not saying the words, but you might as well be," Rangiku told her as she crossed her arms over her ample chest.

"What does that even mean?" Karin asked, starting to look less angry and more confused.

"Karin, what you're saying, you might as well just call your brother a whore to his face," she said with a deep sigh.

"I never said that!" Karin gasped, looking up at her.

"But you are. You keep accusing him of dating this guy, trading sexual favors even, for things to make life better for him."

Karin opened her mouth and closed it. "But… I never meant…"

"I know you never meant, but you don't understand what your words mean. Your brother wouldn't be with someone unless he liked them. And given that he has an option for a place to live besides the small apartment you were sharing, he must have some feeling toward him." Rangiku put her hand on Karin's shoulder. "Please think about it." She turned and went back into the room with the others.

While she was gone, Ichigo and Yuzu had talked a little bit with Isshin, and Yuzu had come around to the idea of living with him. She still wanted Ichigo to come with them, but Ichigo said it was better if he didn't.

A second later Karin came back in and sat down, looking a little less angry. Isane smiled and looked between the two girls.

"Based on the testimony you girls provided, the environment at the foster home is deemed unacceptable. For this reason, we're returning custody to Isshin Kurosaki. I assume most of your things are at Ichigo's apartment?" she asked.

"Yeah, what little we have," Karin muttered, but she wasn't glaring at Ichigo and Grimmjow anymore. Ichigo thought that was an improvement.

"Alright, then I'll let you make arrangements to get those things and take them to your new home. I hope that you can heal as a reunited family," Isan said as she stood up with the paperwork she had in front of her. "If you'll excuse me, I have to file all this paperwork and take care of a few things. You may use the room for however long you like."

With that, Isane left the room and they were left alone. "I'll bring your stuff to you tonight. I'm moving things out today," Ichigo said as he stood up. "Call me with the address."

"Anaki, why are you leaving already?" Yuzu asked, looking up at him.

"I want to get out of that apartment before the day's over. That way I can be done with it," he explained and patted her on the shoulder.

Grimmjow got up and followed him out of the room. Once outside Ichigo let out a shuddering breath.

"You okay?" Grimmjow asked as he put his arm around Ichigo's shoulders.

"Yeah, just a little intense," he told him. "Let's go back to the apartment so I can get our stuff out of it. I think everything will fit in your car. It isn't like I have that much to start with."

Grimmjow nodded. "And if that landlord of yours comes around, I owe him a punch to the mouth."

Ichigo hoped that didn't happen because he didn't want to deal with him at all. He also hoped the guys that had bothered him the day before stayed away until he was gone. He really didn't want to have any trouble of any sort.

At Grimmjow's car, Ichigo paused, taking a deep breath. He'd just had the opportunity to go somewhere else and turned it down. He just couldn't think of going to live with Isshin. He would have to make a relationship with the man again, after all this time, and he knew that. It would come slowly, though. He couldn't just move in with the man who abandoned him so long ago.

"You sure you're okay?" Grimmjow asked as he looked over the car at him.

"Yeah," Ichigo said, shaking away the thoughts. "Let's go."

Grimmjow got in and let Ichigo get situated. He sighed. "I think that long-term relationships are a lot of work," he said finally.

Ichigo looked at him. "You think it's too much work?"

Smiling, Grimmjow shook his head. "Nah, just new to me, but I think I could get used to it."

They went back to the apartment, and Ichigo pulled out an old rolling suitcase that would hold all of his things. He left the girls' clothes on the hangers and wrapped them up in a trash bag to keep them clean. Really, there wasn't much there to take. A few clothes, and Ichigo had one framed picture of his mother. He held it to his chest and looked over the emptier apartment.

"What about your landlord? Are you going to tell him you're moving out?" Grimmjow asked as he picked up the bag with the clothes in it.

Ichigo swallowed. "I'll call him."

Grimmjow nodded. "Okay, let's get out of here. Did your sisters send you the new address?"

Pulling out his cell phone, he saw that he had a text from Karin with an address. "Yeah," he told him. "I've got it."

"Let's go, then. After we take the girls their clothes, we can get to my house. It's been a long day already, and I'm sure you'll be ready to relax when we get back to the house." Grimmjow led the way out of the apartment.

As they got to the car, Ichigo saw that Shinji and a couple of his crew were standing out there. He looked at Grimmjow and smiled. "Go on and put that stuff in the car, I'm going to say goodbye to these guys."

He ran over where they were standing. "Yo, Ichigo, you getting out of here?" Shinji said as he looked over at Grimmjow putting the clothes bags into the car.

"Yeah, I just wanted to thank you guys for yesterday and for being cool about everything," Ichigo smiled at him and glanced back to see Grimmjow getting into the car. "I gotta go, I just wanted to say goodbye."

"You be safe, okay? You'll do alright," Shinji said and squeezed his shoulder before he turned and ran back toward the car.

Mashiro looked at Shinji. "You think he'll be okay?"

Shinji shrugged. "Who knows, but he's got a better shot than if he lives in this shithole," he sighed, glancing over to the building.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

"Well, it is a nice house," Grimmjow mentioned as they pulled into the address Karin had given them.

It was a two-story house that was relatively large. It certainly looked big enough to house four people. That was good because it was Ichigo's biggest concern. He pulled out the stuff in the back that belonged to the girls with Grimmjow's help. They came to the door and knocked. It was just a few seconds before the woman, Rangiku had been her name, came to the door.

"Hello, welcome, come in. Are those the girls' things?" she asked as she moved away to let them into the house.

"Yeah, they didn't have a lot," Ichigo told her as he looked around the front of the house.

It was dressed modestly, nothing too flashy or opulent looking but nice. The front door opened into a large front room where there were sofas and a television sitting there. Ichigo could see the kitchen and dining area off to the side, and the stairs that led upstairs. As he looked around he heard thumping and looked up to see Yuzu coming down the stairs.

"Anaki!" she said and came and hugged him. He hugged her back and looked to see Karin coming down the stairs as well.

"Hi, I brought your clothes," he said as he took the bag from Grimmjow and handed it over to Yuzu.

"Oh, thank you. I'll take them upstairs. We have nice rooms, you should come and see. Bigger than the room at Bambietta's and we don't have to share!" Yuzu exclaimed excitedly.

Ichigo smiled, glancing over to see Isshin in the kitchen watching them. He cleared his throat. "Ah, so I brought their stuff," he said. "I mean, what we had. I don't think there was that much besides some clothes that really we needed to keep from that apartment. Everything else I'd found."

"That's good, we'll get the girls some more clothes and things. For now they each have their own room and furnishings in it. We have been anticipating this day for a while now," Isshin said as he came into the living room where Ichigo and Grimmjow stood.

Ichigo nodded. "Alright. I, um, guess that I will be in contact, and if the girls need me, they have my number."

"I want to make the offer to you again. You can stay here with us, for as long as you need. We'll take care of things while you're in school." Isshin glanced at Grimmjow and back at Ichigo again. "But I understand if you don't want to do so."

"I'm not ready for being that close, just yet," Ichigo said with a sad smile. "I would rather just continue with what my plans already were. I don't have to deal with the crappy apartment and trying to juggle two jobs and school like this." Ichigo nodded and ran his hand through his hair, realizing he still needed to get it cut. "I think it is for the best I you just concentrate on the girls."

Karin had been silent up until then but she looked at him with a half-smile. "Okay, Ichi-nii. I'll call you soon. Or you can text me. Let me know where you're staying, okay?"

Ichigo wondered what had been said to make her change her attitude. He swallowed and hugged her. "I'll be fine."

Karin's eyes hardened then and she glared up at Grimmjow. "You best be good to my brother."

Grimmjow put both hands up and smirked at her. "Hey, don't wanna piss off the little sister."

"Yeah, well," she said and turned on her heel to go back up the stairs.

Isshin came closer and smiled. "I'll be here if you need me. I know I've been a terrible father for the last ten years, but I want to make it up to both you and the girls."

Ichigo licked his lips thoughtfully and nodded to him. "Yeah, just worry about the girls. I'm sure we'll talk at some point more."

"We would like you to come over this weekend for dinner, if you wanted," Rangiku provided from beside Isshin now.

"We might be able to come," he said and glanced at Grimmjow. He shrugged and Ichigo looked back at her. "I don't know what will be going on right now."

"Alright, we'll plan on it loosely and see what happens," Isshin said, taking Rangiku's hand. "I hope you'll be able to come."

"We should go. It's getting late, and I still have to meet Grimmjow's parents tonight," Ichigo explained and swallowed thickly. He had no idea why this was so damn hard to get through. It wasn't like these people were complete strangers; they were family now.

"Drive safe," Isshin said and walked them to the door, waving as they got into the car and pulled out.

"That went well," Grimmjow commented as they headed toward his house.

"Yeah, I hope meeting your parents goes as well," Ichigo muttered quietly.

"It will. They know you had a rough day today, so no pressure tonight, alright?" Grimmjow glanced over at him and gave him a smile.

Ichigo sighed, and wondered where he'd go from here as they pulled into the house beside another car. Grimmjow parked beside it and got out. Ichigo got his suitcase from the back and pulled it behind him. He had been here twice, but this was the first time anyone else would be home. He was nervous, but not as nervous as meeting his own parents. This would be temporary after all.

"We're here," Grimmjow called as they came into the house.

Ichigo looked around to see that it was brightly lit this time, as most the lights had been off when he'd been here before. He felt his mouth dry and he looked up to see three people coming toward them.

Grimmjow nodded at Ichigo. "Ah, Ichigo, this is Tier Harribel and Sōsuke Aizen, our adopted parents. And this is my sister Nel," he said indicating the woman with long green hair. The blond woman looked somewhat stoic and the brown haired man was smiling gently.

"Hello, welcome to our home, Ichigo," Sōsuke said and nodded toward him.

"I want to thank you for letting me stay here for a while until things get settled for me," Ichigo told them as he looked between them. He felt a little on display.

"I'll take him to put his things away," Grimmjow said and grabbed Ichigo by the wrist and pulled him toward the interior of the house.

"You can use a guest room if you want," Tier commented as she watched them leave. She didn't expect them to take one, though. Not from the way Grimmjow had talked about him.

"It's okay, my room is fine," Grimmjow told her as he led Ichigo to it.

"Your room? Are you sure your parents are okay with that?" Ichigo asked as he opened the door to a large bedroom.

"They're fine with whatever," Grimmjow said as he led Ichigo inside.

The room itself was surprisingly plain. A large bed dominated the room, with a dresser to the side and a closet. There weren't any pictures on the wall or anything decorating the place, and the only photograph was a picture of Grimmjow and his sister together. There was a shelf with what looked like soccer trophies of some sort on it.

"I'm pretty simple," Grimmjow explained.

Ichigo nodded and sat down on the bed where there was a bedside table. All the furniture seemed to match, and that was something Ichigo wasn't used to seeing. He was just admiring the place when Grimmjow leaned forward and kissed him quickly on the lips

"You're also pretty persistent," Ichigo said.

"Oh, I know," Grimmjow said. "But now that I have a good boy, what am I supposed to do?"

Ichigo's eyes widened and if he hadn't been already half hard, he would have been then.

"I think you're excited to stay here with me. Did you like the way I treated you last night so well?" Grimmjow cupped his face and gave him that smirk that set Ichigo's senses on fire. "I have more plans on using some other fun things I bought with that flavored lube. I think you'll like them."

Ichigo wasn't sure what to make of his words but he knew that he felt like he wanted to do whatever Grimmjow asked as long as he thought he was a good boy. Ichigo leaned in and kissed him back. He was about to deepen it, when there was a knock at the door. Ichigo jerked back and stared at it.

"Dinner, Grimmy," came a female voice.

Ichigo swallowed and schooled his own reactions. He couldn't go out of the room like this. Grimmjow stood up, adjusting himself in his jeans. He growled under his breath. "As much as I'd love to skip dinner, you need to eat. You and I have been going all day on nothing."

Ichigo didn't comment that he was used to it and hadn't noticed, really. He quelled his own arousal and stood up, feeling like he was in a surreal state around Grimmjow and his world. Grimmjow led him back out and into the dining room where the others already were seated.

"Have a seat, Ichigo," Sōsuke said as he gestured toward the empty chair beside Grimmjow.

"Thank you again," he said as he sat down and felt his stomach remind him that he was starving.

"It is no trouble at all," Tier told him as she passed a plate over to him. Grimmjow had his as well.

"So, Grimmjow says that you met with your real father today?" Sōsuke asked as he sipped at the white wine glass beside his plate. Ichigo noted that he had a wine glass as well. Well, it would be rude not to drink what he was given. He took a nervous sip and nodded.

"I did. It was weird after almost ten years," he explained and swirled the wine in his glass. "I think he's going to take care of my sisters well, though. He's a doctor here in town."

Sōsuke nodded, pausing to eat for a moment. "That is a good situation for them to find themselves in. You did not want to stay with them?"

Ichigo shook his head. "I just didn't feel comfortable with him. I just want to continue trying to be on my own."

There was silence as everyone ate. Finally, Nel spoke up. "What are you going to school for?"

Ichigo looked at her and bit his lip for a second. "Well, originally, I was going for business, but I've thought about going into medical stuff lately, even before my father showed back up."

"You should do what makes you happy," Nel said with a tip of her glass toward him.

Ichigo nodded, amazed at this woman's cooking because it was fantastic. He wouldn't have thought a rich woman would be so good in the kitchen like this.

"Dinner was amazing," Ichigo told her as she picked up the plates. "I've not had something that good in a while," he explained. "Do you need help cleaning up?" he asked.

"Oh, no, dear. I just have to put the dishes into the dishwasher, and that's all. Thank you for the offer though," she told him with a soft smile.

"I imagine you are both tired after your day, so we'll leave you to get some rest," Sōsuke said as he got up from the table.

"Yeah, thank you again," Ichigo said as he followed Grimmjow back to his room.

As soon as they were back inside, Ichigo heard the lock click and he turned back to nearly run into Grimmjow, he was so close. "Now, where were we?" Grimmjow growled low in his throat.

"We can't do things here!" Ichigo hissed. "What if they hear us?"

"No one will hear anything. My room is on the opposite side of the house from theirs. Besides, what fun is it having my good boy in my bed if I can't play with him?" he stroked a hand over Ichigo's head and pulled lightly on the back of his hair.

Ichigo sucked in a deep breath and felt the strange sensation wash over him. "Yeah," he breathed out and felt Grimmjow's hand slid down to the back of his neck. He squeezed and pulled him forward to kiss him again.

"Get undressed, why dontcha?" Grimmjow told him as he began to slip his own shirt off over his head.

Ichigo shucked the shirt over his head and backed up until the back of his legs hit the bed. Grimmjow smirked, pushing him backward until he was seated on the bed. Grimmjow's fingers were in his hair and he was kissing him again. He huffed a sigh and undid his pants button and shifted them off his hips quickly. Grimmjow grabbed him around he waist and pulled him close to his chest. Ichigo found it warm and comforting.

"What a good boy you are," he whispered and Ichigo felt any defenses he had melt.

Grimmjow ran his hands down the outside of Ichigo's arms and hummed to himself. He then pushed Ichigo backward to lay back on the bed. Ichigo found it a lot more comfortable than the crappy futon at his place had been. He was about to say something when Grimmjow trailed his tongue down his belly until he reached his arousal. He then sucked it into his mouth and Ichigo nearly came on the spot at the sensation. Both his hands went to Grimmjow's head and he stifled a moan.

Grimmjow's tongue was all around him and he resisted the urge to grab him and shove his head down. He huffed a deep breath tried to relax, but with Grimmjow's warm mouth encompassing him, he found it hard to do. He gasped when Grimmjow came up, and he was extremely proud of himself for holding on through it.

"I thought you were gonna go for sure the way you were twitching," he said with a smirk.

Ichigo glared at him through teary eyes. "I almost did," he panted, swallowing an overabundance of spit in his mouth suddenly.

"Here, turn over," Grimmjow said with that smirk still on his lips.

"I don't know," Ichigo muttered as he did as he asked, not sure exactly what Grimmjow was going to do now. Last time, he surprised him with what he'd done.

He again smelled something different, like coffee. He wasn't sure what he was going to do but he felt his fingers on him, slick again like the day before. He wasn't sure what to think as he slid his fingers inside him. He then felt something hard and cold against him and jerked as it began to slide inside him. He gasped a little as whatever it was increased in size as it moved.

"What is that…" he breathed out, trying to look at what he was doing.

"A little toy I bought," Grimmjow said as he began pushing and pulling on it. "I thought it looked interesting." He pushed whatever it was into him and Ichigo could feel the base against him. He wasn't sure what he thought of it.

"It feels weird," Ichigo whined a bit, wriggling on the bed to get some friction against his aching cock under him.

"Oh no, none of that, roll over on your back now," he said and pushed on him until he was lying flat on his back looking up at him. "That's a good boy."

Ichigo whined again, feeling the sensation of liquid dripping down his length. "What are you doing now?" he asked.

"Enjoying myself," Grimmjow muttered as he leaned down and began kissing him with fervor.

Ichigo started to reach for himself but Grimmjow grabbed both hands and pinned them above his head. He nuzzled into his neck, nibbling a little on his collarbone.

"Nuh uh," he said into his ear. "No touching."

"I can't, please, I need…" he whined low in his throat.

"I know, I know. Just be a good boy and bear with it, okay?" Grimmjow whispered against the damp flesh of his neck. "Don't you come without me telling you, understand? If you do, I'll punish you…" he began sucking on his neck in what would be a very visible spot the next day. He still held both wrists over his head loosely in one hand. "I think I might need to buy more things to make you be still. You can't help it, can you?" he squeezed his wrists and smirked as he pressed back against him.

"Please, I'm gonna…" he wriggled, leaking profusely now.

"No, don't you dare. That's not a good boy," Grimmjow growled into his ear. "I want you to wait."

Ichigo closed his eyes and his hands tried to escape Grimmjow's grip seemingly on their own. He only pressed back down, keeping him still again.

"Good, good," Grimmjow muttered, resuming his attention on Ichigo's neck and collarbones. He seemed to love to bite and tease that sensitive flesh. "I like you like this. I'll have to buy a ring though. I think that would be nice. A little cockring to keep you in check, what do you say?"

Ichigo couldn't articulate any answer to that. Right then, all his concentration was on not coming. He huffed a breath and looked at him with pleading eyes. He was going to explode if he didn't tell him he could come. He whimpered and Grimmjow reached down and began stroking him. Now he was having trouble holding out even more.

"Grimm…" he whined. "I can't…if you do that…"

"See, I want to make you where you can come anytime I tell you. So, this is the start of training you for that. I want to whisper in your ear and have you come no matter where we are or what we're doing. And tomorrow, when we leave, you're going to wear this little toy, and when class is over, I'm going to take you and fuck you in my car again right in the parking lot of the school. If we're seen, I don't care," he told him.

Ichigo shuddered as his hand worked him over, bringing him closer and closer to the edge again, stopping just as he was closest. "Please!" he gasped out. "Please, I need…"

"I know, good boy, I'm gonna fuck you now. Don't you dare come when I put it in this time," he said as he reached down and pulled the toy out, gently stopping between each of the circular beads on it before pulling it the rest of the way.

Ichigo couldn't stand much more but he scooted up higher on the bed as Grimmjow climbed up behind him and laid down on his side. "Let's try it like this," he said as he pressed into him from behind, sliding up into him slowly.

Ichigo choked on his own spit as he held himself in check. He was going to try as he felt him slide into him, and slip right up against his prostate. He let out a slightly inhuman sound as he tried to keep his arms over his head. Grimmjow was holding him at the base now as he thrust up into him from behind. Ichigo's left leg was cocked up over Grimmjow's hip, giving him easy access to whatever he wanted.

"Can I come inside you?" he whispered. "I didn't put on a condom cuz I'm out. I won't if you say no."

"Hmph," Ichigo said and nodded. "Yeah, you can," he whimpered, not caring where he came right then. He just knew he was about to lose his mind if he didn't get to come soon.

"Okay, I'm close, so I want you to come for me, like the good boy you are," he whispered harshly into Ichigo's ear as he released his hold on him.

Ichigo gasped and finally felt the sensation crash over him as he felt his body spasm hard. Grimmjow latched onto his neck with his mouth and thrust up into him a couple times before he slammed into him deep and released himself. Ichigo wasn't sure how he felt about doing it like this, but he had to admit it was nice and felt different without a condom. He huffed a couple breaths and dropped his head to the bed.

"We made a mess of your sheets," he said.

"That's okay, I've got more," Grimmjow said as he sat up. "Come on, I've got an attached bathroom. Let's take a shower."

"Will we both fit?" Ichigo asked as he sat up, feeling the odd empty sensation that he was left with afterward.

"Sure," Grimmjow said as he took him by the hand and led him into the bathroom.

Of course, their shower turned into an instance of Grimmjow pinning him to the wall again, unable to resist him in the water. Ichigo didn't mind, finding the shower to be big enough that he wasn't uncomfortable pressed into the wall with Grimmjow over his back. When they finished the shower finally, Ichigo was really exhausted. He tied the towel around his waist and helped Grimmjow change the sheets on the bed.

"I don't have anything to sleep in," Ichigo said softly as he stood there, still wearing a towel as Grimmjow put on a pair of boxers and an undershirt.

"Here, they might be loose on you," he handed Ichigo a pair of his boxers and he put them on. They slid down on his hips a little, showing where the bones stuck out. Grimmjow smiled as he slipped into an undershirt. That at least fit for the most part. Ichigo knew he'd lost a lot of weight since he'd moved out, but if things kept up, he'd be back up to a healthy weight again before long.

"Come on, let's get some sleep," Grimmjow said as he slipped into the bed. Ichigo flushed and climbed into the bed with him. He found sleep elusive, though and before long he laid there awake as Grimmjow slept soundly beside him. He was getting attached to Grimmjow, and it was becoming more than sex. His insistence of helping him get through things was setting him up for feelings he wasn't sure how to deal with. He just wondered how Grimmjow felt about things now.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Discussions and Decisions

Grimmjow didn't know how much he would enjoy having someone close at night. He never imagined that he would enjoy that sort of thing. He'd always had his encounters and then sent them home or went home himself. He never really thought of having someone in his bed all the time, especially not the same person.

Now, though, he woke up before his alarm and he just laid there and squeezed Ichigo's body against him. He wanted to pretend it was just a sex thing. He wanted to pretend that it was a long term sex relationship, but it wasn't working. He was getting attached in other ways. He wasn't able to separate the sex from these feelings that became connected to it. He wanted to make him happy, and he wanted to see him do well.

The alarm decided at that moment to go off, causing Ichigo to stir against him, and he almost regretted losing the position they were in. He nuzzled into his neck and nipped at his ear, causing him to shiver.

"Hmm, that tickles," Ichigo mumbled, still half asleep.

"You should wake up," Grimmjow told him, smirking to himself. He had made plans for today after all. He fully intended to make good on them, too. "We have a day to get through."

Ichigo rolled over and looked up into his eyes, brown eyes hooded and sleepy looking. "I'm comfortable here," he whined, stretching his arms over his head and nearly squeaking when Grimmjow poked at his belly. "Hey!" he said, wriggling against him.

"I wish now I'd set my alarm earlier," Grimmjow murmured, leaning down and nibbling a little against Ichigo's collarbone. "We could have engaged in some morning activities…"

Ichigo sighed. "Is that all you think about?"

"When it comes to you, it is top of the list," Grimmjow growled, leaning down and capturing his lips in what quickly became a heated kiss.

"What are you gonna tell your friends?" Ichigo asked as he sat up slowly. "I mean, since I'm living here with you, and I'll be with you more…"

"I'll tell them what I want, which is that you're who I'm dating now, and that's that. They won't care," he said with a shrug. "Most of them already know anyway."

Ichigo stood up and Grimmjow noted again how thin he was. He frowned and knew that he had to have been through some shit in his household for him to be willing to live on his own and take care of his sisters. "So your foster parents, they weren't too nice, huh?"

"Cang was okay, he never really had much to do with us," Ichigo said as he started to pull clothes out of his suitcase. "Bambietta was the problem. She had a temper and it always seemed I was the one who got the brunt of it growing up," he brought his jeans and a t-shirt over to the bed. "I mean, I got used to lying about it. How I got hurt all the time. I used to get into fights sometimes at school, so I always used to say it was because of that. Renji could tell you how often I was banged up," he said with a sigh. "Renji had a good foster family, though."

Grimmjow sat up on the side of the bed and thought about that. He and Nel had been lucky. Tier had been good to them.

"I can't imagine," he said and watched as Ichigo changed clothes quickly. Grimmjow got up and went to his closet and pulled down a shirt and pants for himself, dressing quickly. He wanted to make sure Ichigo got breakfast before they left. That was going to be a priority from now on until he could no longer count his ribs.

"I got used to it," Ichigo mumbled as he sat down and watched Grimmjow put on his clothes. "You can get used to about anything."

"Hey, you forgot," Grimmjow said as he smirked at him.

Ichigo's face flushed a little. "You were serious?"

"Um hum," he said as he opened the drawer by the bed and pulled out the plug from the night before. "All day."

Ichigo's cheeks were red now as he stared at Grimmjow. "But what if…"

"What if what? You and I are the only ones that'll know. Besides, good boys do what they're asked…" he saw the effect those words had on Ichigo and was pleased again. His eyes widened slightly and he seemed to relax a little.

"Come here, I'll do it," he said gesturing to him to come closer.

"Is it safe to do that though?" he asked as he came toward him.

"Of course, it's all fun," Grimmjow said as he slid his jeans down off his hips without bothering to undo the button. "You're such a good boy, though, lean over," he told him, leaning him over his lap and finding the position quite attractive. He slipped a finger down and pressed it inside him, feeling the heat and constriction against him. He then put some lube on the toy before he easily slipped it inside him, slowly, one ball at a time. By the time he was done, he could feel Ichigo hard against his leg and he himself wasn't much better. "That's it," he said as he pushed him to stand up. His face was flushed red and he was biting his lip.

Grimmjow pulled up his jeans and then squeezed his ass for good measure. "I was serious about fucking you in the car after class."

Ichigo looked away and Grimmjow smiled. He got up and grabbed him by the arm. "Come on, you need breakfast before we leave," he told him.

"I don't need anything…" Ichigo started.

"No, you're going to have something," Grimmjow insisted and pulled him toward the kitchen again. "At least some toast or something," he commented.

"Alright, alright," he acquiesced.

After Grimmjow and Ichigo had both had something to eat, he finally took him out to the car to head to the school. He could see him squirming already. He wondered how well he could stand keeping that plug in him all day. He slipped a hand over and squeezed his thigh as he started the car.

"You okay?" he asked as they pulled out.

"I don't know, this feels weird," he said, shifting in his seat a little. "I don't know if I can do this until after class…"

"Don't you dare go in the bathroom and take it out. I put it there, I'm the only one that can remove it," Grimmjow growled as they pulled onto the highway. He heard the sharp intake of breath from Ichigo and knew he was going the right direction with it. Who knew his strawberry boy would be so kinky?

Once they got to the school, he got out and wondered how much Ichigo would be able to concentrate on anything else during class today. He smiled to himself because he was looking forward to having him to himself. He wished he didn't have class, but if his parents were going to help him get an apartment on his own, he had to keep up with school. That was the deal they made with him.

"This'll be the first day that we walk to this class together," Grimmjow pointed out as they stepped into the building.

"What about Renji?" Ichigo said suddenly, stopping. "What's he gonna say?" he wondered.

"Will ya stop?" Grimmjow said and reached out and put an arm around his shoulders, pulling him in closer to him. "You and Renji can make up, right? I mean, you don't have any reason that you can't."

"I don't know. I wasn't too nice to him when I ended our friendship. I really tried to burn that bridge," he said, seemingly not realizing they were just standing in the middle of the foyer.

"Ah, don't worry. You can just apologize. Nothing to it. He'll get over it or he won't," he said and pulled him toward the classroom.

As they entered, Renji caught sight of both of them, and Grimmjow felt Ichigo freeze. For some reason, the whole situation seemed silly and he pulled Ichigo into the room, getting more than one other student staring at them being so close.

"Renji," Grimmjow said and shoved Ichigo toward him. "You two need to talk. Can't have you two on opposite sides."

Ichigo tried to look anywhere but Renji's face. "Um, look, I know I was a jerk, and um, I just couldn't take chances that anyone from my old life found out about what I was doing with my sisters and I thought the best way was to cut off everyone…"

Renji didn't have an expression on his face but then he gave him a small smile. "It's okay, man. I know how much yer sisters mean to ya. I don't know how you expected to do things all by yerself."

Ichigo nodded. "I'm sorry, though. And I should have trusted you instead."

"There, now, yer gonna sit back here now," Grimmjow said and flopped into his regular seat beside where Renji sat.

"But I always sit…" he started.

"Nah, sit down here," he said, patting the seat in front of him.

Ichigo looked to debate it but he sat down. There wasn't anyone in the seat in front of Grimmjow, so it wasn't going to be a problem for anyone else. He smirked as Ichigo wriggled in the seat a little. He looked over to see Renji staring at him curiously. He just continued to smirk and leaned back in the seat.

The entire class, Grimmjow paid more attention to Ichigo than he did to the material. It was easy enough, and he'd catch up in the reading. Every time he shifted in the seat, Grimmjow imagined what he felt like with that plug inside him. As class ended, Ichigo hopped up like always, and Grimmjow grabbed him by the wrist. He turned back to him.

"Walk with me to my next," he said and again Renji gave him a look as they headed toward Urahara's chemistry class. At the door, Ichigo clutched his book bag strap and nodded.

"I'll meet you at the usual spot after your class?" he asked.

"Yeah, don't fall asleep this time," Grimmjow chided and headed into the classroom.

"What did you do to him?" Renji asked as he sat down in his seat. "You got him all wrapped around your finger."

Grimmjow gave him a grin. "Yeah, he's a good boy. He likes to be controlled a bit."

"Well, whatever works," Renji said with a chuckle.

"You still sore at him?" he asked, looking over at him with a narrowed glance.

Renji sighed. "Well, I mean, a little. I'm willing to be nice since you're fucking him, but no guarantees when that wears off."

"Wears off? What you think I'm just gonna dump someone all of a sudden?" he snapped.

"Well, you usually do, Grimm. I can't see this lasting more than another week or so," Renji pointed out.

Grimmjow started to respond but class was starting. He wasn't just in it for the sex, he knew that now. He'd never felt like this about anyone before. While, yeah, the sex was nice, he was feeling something more. He wanted to see him do better with his family, and his relationship with Renji mattered to him. He thought about it. He'd been a player most of his life, he guessed, but now he was sticking with one person. He could change. Right?

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

By the time he was waiting in the chairs for Grimmjow, Ichigo was more than ready to see him. The constant pressure against his prostate was driving him mad. He was glad that he wore jeans, though the fact they were loose was doing him no favors. He schooled his reactions, though. He couldn't decide which was more comfortable—sitting or standing. He settled on sitting in one of the large chairs and trying to be patient.

Part of him wondered at what he was doing. He certainly could have refused. He could have gone to the bathroom and taken out the plug. He could have done a lot of things but he chose not to do those things. He always thought that he would hate being told what to do. But for some reason when Grimmjow did it, something tripped inside him that felt incredibly good. It wasn't like being forced into things like with the landlord; no that was different. He _knew_ that all he had to do was tell Grimmjow no, and he'd back off. A flicker of fear blossomed at the thought. What if he didn't? Was he afraid of him? No, he didn't want to be afraid of him. He was confused because his feelings were all caught up in this thing he had going on.

He just wanted to be told he was a good boy, and Grimmjow did that.

He looked up as he saw Grimmjow coming with Renji. That was unexpected. He didn't think that Renji would come with him. He stood up, and clutched his bookbag's strap against his shoulder tightly as they approached.

"Hey, Renji wanted to go grab something to eat. What do you think?" Grimmjow asked as he came over.

"Uh, that sounds fine," he stammered. That meant it would be longer…

Grimmjow put his arm around Ichigo's shoulders and steered him toward the door. "He brought his car, so he's gonna meet us there. See ya, Ren!" he said and waved at Renji.

"I know, I know," Grimmjow muttered as they got to his car. "I know what I planned, but Renji wanted to show that there was no hard feelings between ya two."

Ichigo swallowed and nodded. "C-can you take it out first?"

"Here?" Grimmjow muttered, giving him a smirk. "I didn't know you were such an exhibitionist."

"No, of course not!" Ichigo gasped. "I mean, never mind…"

"Don't worry, I'll make it up to you. You've been such a good boy today," he said as he got seated in the car and put on his seatbelt.

Ichigo licked his lips and felt his resistance melt. Of course, he'd wait. He was a good boy, after all.

They pulled into a small pizza joint. "I don't think I've been here before."

"It's a favorite of mine," Grimmjow explained as he got out of the car and waited for Ichigo.

Ichigo looked over and saw that Renji was getting out of his car, and his heart sped up a little. This was the first time he'd been outside of school with Renji since he pushed everyone away. He really did wish he'd thought a little better on those things. It was too late now to change things, though. He just had to do his best to make up for it. He wanted to mend that break between them. Something told him that Renji was being a little too forgiving on the surface. He had been rather irate when Ichigo told him he wanted nothing to do with him any longer.

"Yo, Ren," Grimmjow said as they came to the door. He put his arm around Ichigo's shoulders again. Ichigo was beginning to feel like this was a sign of possession from him. He kinda liked it.

They went in and found a booth to sit down. Renji took one side and leaned back in the corner and put up his leg in the booth. Grimmjow pushed Ichigo toward the booth a little and he got in and let Grimmjow have the outside. He felt small between the two of them. He had no basis for that, since he and Renji were about the same height and build, while Grimmjow was a slight bit taller and bigger than both of them.

"So, order the usual?" Grimmjow asked as the waitress came over.

"Sure, if that works for everyone," Renji said, glancing at Ichigo.

"Whatever you usually get is fine with me," Ichigo told them, smiling and shifting in his seat a little.

"Alright," Grimmjow said and ordered a large pizza with pepperoni and onions. Ichigo thought that was a bit odd but he supposed it would be good. He also ordered a round of cola for everyone.

"How's your thing with the midget girl going?" Grimmjow asked as the waitress brought their drinks to the table.

Renji smirked. "I met her brother, and boy is he going to be a hard man to please. He's some rich guy, named Byakuya Kuchiki."

"Kuchiki?" Ichigo said, looking up at him. "That's the owner of the building I've been working nights at."

Renji nodded. "Yeah, he's some sort of business man. He's pretty chill though. Super hard to read, though," he said with a nod.

They looked up as the pizza was delivered. "Uh, so what do you do for him?"

"Um, oh," Ichigo stammered. "I, uh, clean the building overnights. But I might not be going back to it since it is hard to do overnights and keep up in school." He picked up a piece of pizza as Grimmjow did.

"I see," Renji gave him a sideways look as he picked up his own pizza.

Ichigo knew what he was thinking. He hadn't even talked to Grimmjow yet about quitting that job, and he supposed he should have since he was footing the bill for everything. He felt a little uncomfortable at the moment. "Ah, how is you school stuff going?" he finally managed.

"Good, good. I'm staying with my foster parents while I go to school. They've been insistent I work on getting my education," Renji explained and took a bite of his pizza.

"I think I'm going to see about getting an apartment here soon. My parents are on board with it as long as I keep up with school," Grimmjow said as he munched on his piece of pizza.

"Really?" Renji asked as he glanced quickly at Ichigo and back to Grimmjow. "When are you going to do that?"

Grimmjow shrugged. "Tier is looking into a few places that might have good, small apartments to start out in. I'm almost done with school now, so I need to be getting out of their hair. Though I'm thinking of going straight on with school and get a business master's degree."

"That would be something to see you in business…" Renji mumbled around a bite of pizza.

Ichigo had only eaten one piece and didn't intend to get anymore, but Grimmjow looked over at him with a glare. "You need to eat more than that," he growled.

"No, really, I'm fine," he started.

"No, really, you're going to eat enough to feed a person, no go on," Grimmjow reiterated.

Ichigo chewed his lip for a second then reluctantly took another piece. Renji was looking at Grimmjow with a strange expression on his face. He supposed their dynamic was different, but it wasn't that Ichigo didn't like it. He needed someone to keep him straight on things like eating and concentrating on his school.

"Ah, so Rukia's having a get together to celebrate her getting an internship at her brother's business, and I wanted to see if y'all wanted to come to it." Renji was on his third piece of pizza. Ichigo realized how much he was watching what everyone else did and knew that it couldn't be normal. He had to stop doing that.

"I think that sounds like fun. Whaddaya think, Ichi?" he asked, glancing over at him.

"If you want me to go with you, I'll go," he said, finishing his second piece of pizza.

"Yeah, it would do you good to get out and meet some other new people," Grimmjow said and turned toward him. He reached over and squeezed his thigh under the table and winked at him. Ichigo could feel his face heating up a little.

Going to a party with him? He looked up. "Oh, when is it? We have dinner with my family this weekend…"

"Saturday night," Renji said with a smirk. "If you can't go, I'm sure Grimm can be entertained without you."

"We'll just do dinner with your family Sunday and make a day of it with them," Grimmjow said, balling up his napkin and dropping it into the center of the pizza pan. "Then we can do both. It isn't like you can drink yet anyway."

"Well, that's true. I'll text Karin and Yuzu," he said as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. Renji and Grimmjow talked over the party and who was going to be there while he was distracted.

 _Can we do dinner on Sunday?_ He texted.

There was a short wait. _Yeah, the father said that was fine. See you at 3 pm?_

 _3 pm. Got it._

He looked up and saw Grimmjow looking at him. "Ah, three pm on Sunday for dinner with them."

"Good, then that's settled. Why don't we head home? We have a while before my parents get home for dinner." He grinned and squeezed his leg again.

Ichigo felt his face heat a bit and swallowed. He was more than ready to be alone with Grimmjow right then. He had been squirming in his seat for the last half an hour already. He nearly squeaked when Grimmjow poked him in the side.

"What was that for?" he complained.

"Still too skinny. But I guess it will take a while for you to gain back the weight you lost," Grimmjow mused. "Anyway, we'll get that done."

"Alright, I'm meeting Rukia for dinner later, so I wanna go home and take a shower before hand. You guys have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do," he said as he got up from the table. "Of course, there isn't much I wouldn't do…" Renji said with a smirk as he turned and left, leaving Ichigo and Grimmjow on their own.

"A party, what do you think?" Grimmjow leaned over and spoke quietly in his ear.

"I think I want to get home," he said, eyes tearing a bit from trying to keep his body's reactions at bay.

Grimmjow slid his hand up his thigh and squeezed at his crotch, causing him to gasp and grab onto the side of the table. "Hmm, you're halfway there."

"Yeah, please, I can't take much more…" he whined, cutting his eyes up at Grimmjow.

"Before we go back, I wanted to talk a minute about our relationship," Grimmjow said with a suddenly serious tone.

Ichigo blinked in surprise. "Our relationship?"

"Um hum. I've kinda been doing what I want to do, without asking you what you wanted to do," he said with a gentle look on his face. "I don't want to do things you aren't okay with."

Ichigo was surprised. He swallowed and tried to think of something coherent to say. "I mean, I like what we do together," he expressed finally.

"Yeah, but see, I want to know if you want me to keep going like we are or not. You seem to be enjoying some of the kinky stuff, and there's a fuck-ton more things that we can do that would be fun, but I need to know that you want to go further before I try anything else," Grimmjow still had a very serious look on his face.

Ichigo felt his face warm again. How was he supposed to answer that question? It was an extremely embarrassing question to answer. He knew he was blushing now as he looked down at his hands. "Um, I dunno," he mumbled. "Can't we just try things until we find things we both like?"

"Well, are you going to tell me when you don't wanna do something?"

Ichigo looked at him and nodded. "I'll tell you."

"I noticed you like when I take a little bit of control. Do you want me to keep doing that?" Grimmjow asked, fingers dancing along Ichigo's leg as he spoke.

"Y-yeah, that's nice. It feels different, but not bad different…I can't explain it." Ichigo had no idea how to explain how he felt.

"Hmm, okay. And you like the toys?" he murmured close to Ichigo's ear.

Another blush stained his cheeks and he nodded slowly. "They're nice."

"Cuz there's a lot more toys we can try," Grimmjow leaned a little closer and nipped his ear lighty.

"Don't do that here," Ichigo gasped.

"Okay, okay, no public displays, eh?" Grimmjow said as he tucked Ichigo's longish hair behind his ear.

Ichigo nodded. "And not around my father and sisters. They don't need to know and certainly don't need to see that."

"Can I play a little with you when they're not looking?" he asked, sliding his hand down his thigh again.

"Just some," he whispered and put his hand on Grimmjow's. "It is kinda exciting when no one knows what's going on."

"Ah, so you like the thrill of it but don't want to get caught, huh?" Grimmjow smirked. "Let's go home. I wanna beat my parents."

They got up and went to the car. Ichigo was kind of glad they weren't going to have sex in the car again. That was an acrobatic feat and it was a good thing he was so flexible. When they pulled in, Grimmjow growled low in his throat.

"They're already home, dammit."

"Oh, you're not going to make me wait until after dinner?" he whined, staring at him with wide eyes.

Grimmjow smiled. "Nah, we can take it out when we go in. I mean, we'll have to be social. Just wait until we get our own place," he muttered as he got out of the car with him.

"Hi boys," Tier said as they came into the living room. "Nice to see you today," she smiled. "I got done at work early so we were a bit sooner than normal getting home. Did you stop off for food after class?"

"Yeah, we stopped for pizza with Renji. Ichi actually knows Renji from high school. So that's cool," Grimmjow said as they stood behind the sofa. Ichigo reached out and took his hand, squeezing it. "Ah, we're going to hang out in my room for a bit and do some classwork."

"Alright. We're having a light dinner tonight," she told them as she turned the TV on.

Grimmjow squeezed his hand in return and then led him back to his room. He locked the door as they came in and immediately grabbed Ichigo by the hair and pulled him into a deep kiss. When the need for breath took over, he released him, both panting.

"Been wanting to do that all day," Grimmjow growled, tightening his grip in Ichigo's hair. "Now, let's take care of that plug. I'm sure you could use some relief," he said with a smirk.

"Uh huh," Ichigo said, feeling his arousal peak as Grimmjow took control of him so easily.

"Take off yer pants and lay down on the bed," Grimmjow instructed and Ichigo found himself doing what he said without a second thought, and there was something nice about just doing what he was told like this without having to think.

"Good boy," Grimmjow praised when Ichigo laid down on his back. "I'm gonna reward you for being such a good boy all day today, would you like that?" he asked as he got up on the bed, undoing his pants as he moved.

"But they'll hear…" he gasped out, eyes a little wide.

"You'll just have to be quiet. And we'll have to be quick. It's almost dinner time. And you don't get to skip meals," he said sternly as he reached out and stroked him with one hand.

Ichigo shivered and let out a small whine. Grimmjow tapped his thighs to tell him to spread them apart. He did, wanting to cover himself with his hands. Grimmjow pulled his hands away and placed them on the bed.

"No, no hands," he said and leaned down, kissing his leg at the juncture of his hip.

Ichigo had no idea how he was going to keep quiet. He wasn't very good at holding back his voice the more they'd done things and the better things felt. At first, it hadn't felt that great, and he had let Grimmjow do what he wanted without caring what he felt. Now, though, he was feeling good when he did these things and he found he wanted to make noises. He bit his lip as Grimmjow's hand slid down and began to slide the plug out of him one ball at a time. Ichigo whimpered quietly, putting both hands over his mouth.

"Ah, there now. That was a good boy to go all day with that. I bet you couldn't concentrate on anything, could you?" Grimmjow asked, sliding up between his legs and freeing himself from his jeans. "So, now I'm gonna fuck you like I promised, hard and fast, and you're not gonna make a sound. Those sounds belong to me, no one else, got it?"

Ichigo nodded, hands still clamped over his mouth. Grimmjow smirked and rubbed himself against him, sliding into him easily.

"Ah, it's nice and soft, and wet, good thing I used a good bunch of lube on you," he groaned as he sunk forward into him. Ichigo kept his hands locked over his mouth, wanting to cry out as soon as he started pressing into him. His legs were shivering from the effort to not make a sound.

"Just breathe, okay?" Grimmjow said and he leaned forward and planted his elbows by Ichigo's shoulders, trapping his arousal between them and he nearly squealed.

Ichigo nodded, hands falling away and going to his hair, twisting as he hummed under his breath long and low.

"That's it, just breathe and you'll be fine…"

He wasn't worried about being fine, he was worried about yelling out or something. He felt so good after all the stimulation all day. He felt tears leaking from his eyes from the effort as he wanted to make a noise. He tried doing what Grimmjow said, breathing through his teeth and trying to avoid going over right then too. He was struggling to keep both his voice and cock in check as Grimmjow's body rubbed against him.

"Ahh!" he let out finally and Grimmjow moved his hand and clamped it over his mouth.

"I said be quiet," he growled, slamming up into him harder and harder, angling for his prostate again and again. "My parents are going to find out what a slut you are for me. You don't want that, do you?"

Ichigo shook his head, whining against Grimmjow's hand, still unable to stifle the sounds without the external barrier. He moaned against his hand again as he increased his pace again. "Hush, no one gets to hear you but me, got it?"

"Um hmm," he whimpered against his hand as he felt the world crashing around him in sensation.

"I can't last long, so come for me, babe, I know you're close, I feel you throbbing between us…" he muttered.

Ichigo couldn't argue with that as he threw his head back, letting out another moan that was luckily muffled by Grimmjow's hand. Grimmjow thrust up into him hard a couple more times before he slammed up hard and groaned himself as he released. Ichigo panted for breath, breathing heavily through his nose since his mouth was covered. Grimmjow seemed to realize that and let go of his mouth as he fell over beside him.

"I have to change my shirt now," Grimmjow muttered and picked at the now sticky and wet mess on his stomach.

"I'm sorry," Ichigo whispered, but he was too out of it to even articulate much more than an automatic response.

"Hey, don't apologize," Grimmjow whispered, running a hand over his head gently in complete opposition to the fierceness he had moments before. He leaned forward and found his mouth and engaged him in a long, languid kiss.

There was a sudden knock on the door, surprising them both into jerking.

"Dinner, boys," Tier's voice came from the doorway.

"Coming!" Grimmjow said as he sat up, stripping his shirt and tossing it in the wash basket. "You'll need to change too," Grimmjow told him.

Ichigo looked down to see his own shirt had become stained as well. He pulled it off over his head and Grimmjow took it from him to throw in the laundry basket too. He then went to the closet and grabbed two shirts down, tossing one at him. Ichigo slipped into it and found his pants quickly, slipping them on without underwear. When they were both in their clothes, Grimmjow came over and threaded fingers through Ichigo's hair to straighten it out.

"There. Never know what we've been doing," he muttered and planted a kiss on his forehead.

Ichigo smirked at him and nodded, catching his breath again. He breathed out hard and took a deep breath again. They headed out to find Tier and Sōsuke already sitting at the table.

"There you are," Tier said with a smirk as she sat down a plate for each of them. "I was about to call you again," she told them as she sat down herself.

"Yeah, we were just, um, engrossed," Grimmjow said as he leaned over his food with a pleased smile. "Looks good!"

"Thanks, I hope you like it!" she said with a smile.

"So, what are you boys studying?" Sōsuke asked.

Ichigo froze, not sure what to say to that. He hadn't thought about what he would say if they asked about it.

"Psychology," Grimmjow answered smoothly, sipping his wine thoughtfully. "We've been going over different theories in class lately."

"Ah, psychology," Sōsuke said with a smile. "That's always interesting."

"Yeah, it is pretty neat," Grimmjow continued. "I like it. Ichi does too, or at least I think he does?"

"Um, yeah, I think it's neat," he said as he swallowed a bite of food.

"Oh, we're going to a party Saturday night, and to Ichigo's for dinner on Sunday, so we won't be here either evening," Grimmjow said as he moved to something else on his plate.

Sōsuke nodded. "As long as your grades don't suffer. You can't slack off in your last year!" he told him.

"Oh, I found a couple nice places for you to look at, honey," Tier said and looked over at them. "They're north of the school, but not quite in the best district but close."

"That's good," Grimmjow nodded. "Maybe we can look at them this week on one of our short days at the school."

Ichigo caught the glance between Tier and Sōsuke at the way Grimmjow was talking, and he knew that look. It was the same look Renji had when talking about Ichigo living with Grimmjow. Like he was some sort of leech or something on him. He swallowed thickly and finished his food. He knew if he didn't eat, Grimmjow wouldn't be happy. He still couldn't help but feel like the way he was being seen by the people around Grimmjow was positive or not.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Shopping and Parties

Ichigo woke up the next morning before Grimmjow. He was entangled in his limbs and it was comfortable. He smiled, nuzzling into his chest again and sighing. It was such a strange feeling to wake up with someone in the same bed. He liked the feeling, though.

"G'mornin'," came Grimmjow's voice above him.

"Morning," Ichigo responded and leaned back to look at his face.

"No school today," Grimmjow said as his arms tightened around Ichigo's body.

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed, laying his head against Grimmjow's chest again.

Grimmjow was quiet for a moment. "I was thinking that there's this club I've heard about, someplace you might like to go next weekend. Maybe we can go get you some new clothes today before the party and for next weekend."

"New clothes?" Ichigo asked as he sat up. He was still wearing a pair of Grimmjow's boxer shorts and a t-shirt to sleep in. "I can't ask you to pay for something like that.

"Tsk, don't start, I do what I want to do, and I want to get you something decent to wear for tonight and to the club," Grimmjow responded as he sat up on the other side of the bed.

Ichigo didn't know what to say to that. He had that tone to his voice that brokered no arguments. He swallowed, feeling that same feeling come over him like when Grimmjow told him to do something. He slid off the bed and grabbed the same jeans he'd worn the day before and a new t-shirt. Grimmjow went to his closet to get something to wear for himself.

"I guess it would be okay," Ichigo finally admitted as he slipped off the white t-shirt he'd slept in and put on his old t-shirt. He didn't want to embarrass Grimmjow at the party or this club he wanted to go to.

"Of course, it will be okay," Grimmjow said, walking back over to Ichigo without his shirt on. "You'll get something that fits you and looks less than ten years old." He reached up and grabbed Ichigo by the back of the hair and pulled his head back a little before he kissed him aggressively.

Ichigo responded, pushing back with his tongue and letting Grimmjow plunder his mouth. He closed his eyes and just let him have control of his head. It felt kind of nice to let him do it. He broke the kiss, leaning back and yanking a little on Ichigo's hair again before he let go.

"Come on, let's go shopping. I have a special shop I wanna visit," Grimmjow slipped a t-shirt on over his head and grabbed Ichigo by the hand, taking him to the kitchen to get something for breakfast.

Tier and Sōsuke were both already gone for the day, and Ichigo knew that Grimmjow wouldn't be happy if he didn't eat anything. He opted for a pop tart and found a chocolate fudge one. He smiled to himself as he opened the package to put it in the toaster.

"You like chocolate, huh?" Grimmjow asked, leaning against the counter with another pop tart.

Ichigo smiled in return as he waited for the pop tarts to be heated up. "Yeah, I do."

"We'll have to get something to eat while we're out today. Maybe we can get some ice cream or something," Grimmjow commented as he finished his pop tarts.

Ichigo jumped when the toaster popped, causing Grimmjow to chuckle at him. He glared at the blue haired man and carefully pulling out the pop tarts. He ate quietly, feeling Grimmjow watching him as though he wanted to make sure he actually ate.

"Alright, let's go," Grimmjow said as soon as Ichigo was done with his pop tarts.

Ichigo followed him out to the car, grabbing his shoes from beside the door on their way out. They both go in and headed toward the city to a shopping center. Before long they pulled into a clothing store that Ichigo was unfamiliar with.

"I've never seen this store before?" he told Grimmjow as he got out.

"I like to buy things here; they have casual clothes and club clothes."

Grimmjow reached for him and took his hand. Ichigo felt his cheeks heat up, but he still held hands with him. It was nice, to be honest, and he was only a little embarrassed to be seen like this. He somehow didn't think anyone would say anything to either of them.

After about two hours, they walked out of the place with more clothes than Ichigo thought he'd ever owned. He'd never owned anything like what was in the bags, and Grimmjow hadn't blinked at spending so much money. He felt bad, though, like he was still taking advantage of him. But he'd wanted to buy him this stuff, and he would be appreciative.

"Now I wanna go to this other store I know," Grimmjow said after he put the four bags in the back off the car.

Ichigo had no idea what kind of store he was talking about, but he certainly didn't expect to pull into a small building with a plain front on it. He got out and was staring at it when Grimmjow grabbed his hand again.

"Come on," he said and pulled him toward the store.

There weren't a lot of cars out in front of it, and as they entered, he was hit with a strong smell of leather. He squeezed Grimmjow's hand and nervously followed him as they made their way in. There were wall displays with various leather goods, some of which Ichigo had no idea what they were. He stared around him in surprise at the kind of place this was.

"They sell all kinds of leather stuff," Grimmjow said. "I thought maybe we could get some fun things to play with."

Ichigo felt his face flush as a woman in a corset and short skirt approached them. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"Nah, I know my way around here. Thanks, though," Grimmjow told her as he pulled Ichigo toward a display toward the back. It displayed various colors of cuffs and collars in leather. "Here. I thought you would look good in something like this," he reached out and pulled down a dark leather set that was lined with baby blue.

Ichigo ran his fingers over the soft lining and looked at Grimmjow. "You want me to wear these?"

"They'd be just for us, you know, and when we go to that club. See, they have rings on them where they can be clipped together or onto something else. I think I could find some interesting ways to use them," he said and leaned over to kiss him gently on the temple.

Ichigo's heart beat a little faster and his mouth dried out. He was somewhat excited at the prospect of wearing something like this, and it was extremely soft and comfortable looking. He knew that something like this was taking things to the next step, and he was being given the choice now whether he wanted to take it or not. That alone made him happy, but he also wanted to make Grimmjow happy, too.

"Oh, okay," he said quietly, turning the leather over in his hands.

Grimmjow gave him that smirk that turned his knees to jelly. "Good. There's other things too, but we'll explore them at the club a bit."

"So, it's that kind of club?" Ichigo asked as they took the collar and cuffs set to the counter.

"Nice choice," the cashier said, smiling at them as she rang in their purchase. "That one is a popular style; you were lucky to find one in stock today!"

"It was just right for us to find it," Grimmjow said and squeezed Ichigo's shoulders again.

"Will you be going to the club to show these off?" she asked as she bagged the pieces in a solid black paper bag.

"Thinkin' of goin' next weekend," Grimmjow answered, handing over his credit card to pay what Ichigo thought was a lot of money for such a small purchase.

"Aw, that's sweet. You have a very cute subbie. Do enjoy!" she said as she handed back the card and the bag.

"Thanks," Grimmjow responded, pulling Ichigo toward the door.

"What's a subbie?" Ichigo asked as they got outside.

"You," he responded. "Means submissive. Bottom. Whatever you want to refer to it as."

Ichigo swallowed and nodded. That's what he was? It hadn't sounded like the lady at the store thought there was anything wrong with being that. He licked his lips thoughtfully as he slid into the seat in the car. He watched as Grimmjow got in the other side and put the bag in the back with the clothing. The leather smell was permeating the car pretty quickly, too.

"Let's have lunch and maybe grab some ice cream before we head back home to get ready for the party," Grimmjow said as he started the car.

"Alright," Ichigo nodded and wondered what the rest of the day was going to bring.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Ichigo sat in the car as they drove to the party, picking thoughtfully at his shirt. It was a t-shirt, but it was nicer and a lot tighter than what he had been wearing. It had a stylized skull on the front of it on a black material. He was wearing a pair of jeans that he thought were nearly too small because they were so tight on him. They pulled into a large house with a bunch of cars parked in front of it.

Nervous didn't begin to describe the feeling that had settled into Ichigo's stomach as they approached the door. They could hear music already. Grimmjow put an arm around his shoulders and rang the doorbell. A minute later, Renji answered it.

"Oh, hey there, you guys made it," he said and stepped away.

Grimmjow walked into the place first and Ichigo followed him. He took a breath and realized that these people were just as well off as Grimmjow's family, if not more so. The foyer itself was fancy and opened into a large living area which was being used by most the party goers at the moment. Ichigo swallowed a ball growing in the back of his throat and was pulled by the arm into the room.

"Come on, now," Grimmjow said as he steered him into the people that were talking with each other in the living room.

"Yo, Grimmjow!" they heard and Grimmjow smiled at a shorter man with yellow-gold eyes that came up to them. "Heard you hooked up with someone for a while. This him?"

"Yeah, this is Ichigo," Grimmjow answered and put an arm around Ichigo's shoulders again. "Ichigo, this is Ggio Vega. He's already graduated, but he used to run around with us."

Ichigo reached out his hand to shake with him. Ggio shook his hand and grinned. "Imagine my surprise when one of Grimmjow's conquests finally stuck."

Ichigo felt his face flushing at the comment. Grimmjow just chuckled beside him. "Hey, I'm not _that_ bad."

"Yes, yes you are," another voice said, and Ichigo looked over to see a man with long blond hair come up. "Findorr Calius," he said, reaching for Ichigo's hand. "I graduated with Ggio last year, too."

"Come on, I mean I wasn't that much of a player, was I?" Grimmjow said with a slight frown.

"You had a different girl every week, Grimmjow, if you saw one more than once, we were all surprised," Findorr said as he swept his hair over his shoulder. "Everyone knew what to expect with you when they got asked out. No one thought anything but a one night stand would come of it. So, yeah, we're surprised to find you with the same person for more than a week."

Ichigo could feel his cheeks burning and didn't know what to do about it. All of that was true, and Ichigo hadn't thought he'd even ask him out a second time, but he had. "Well, I'm not doing that kind of playing anymore. Ichigo is going to move in when I get my apartment in the next couple weeks," Grimmjow told them as he squeezed Ichigo's shoulders for a second.

"Really? That serious?" Ggio commented and gave Ichigo a look.

"I told you, I'm changing my ways," Grimmjow spoke with a touch of pride to his voice.

Ichigo felt the stare from both of these two and felt a little uncomfortable. "Well, I hope it works out for you," Findorr said and tipped his cup in a mock salute toward them.

Ichigo felt like everyone's eyes were on him as he stood beside Grimmjow. He saw several people giving them side glances and a couple rolled eyes. He shifted uncomfortably under Grimmjow's arm which was still around his shoulders. Then he saw someone he recognized. He looked at Grimmjow and tapped his arm.

"Hey, I'm going to talk to him; I know him from high school," Ichigo told him and pointed to a dark-haired guy sitting by himself.

"Oh, okay, don't go far, 'kay?" he said and let go of him.

Ichigo approached the dark-haired guy with glasses and spoke up as he got close. "Uryū? Is that you?"

Uryū turned and stared at Ichigo a moment then blinked. "Oh, Ichigo, I didn't expect you to be here. I didn't think you went to these sort of things," he commented, pushing his glasses up his nose as he spoke.

"Ha, yeah, I used to not, but I'm with someone now who wanted me to come along," he explained, shrugging his shoulders.

"You, with someone? Who in the world caught your attention? I thought you weren't into the relationship thing because you were too busy?" Uryū didn't look all that interested in talking to him, and he couldn't blame him. Uryū had been another friend he'd told he didn't need when he was getting out of high school.

"Um, well, Grimmjow," he said, blushing a little as he glanced over where Grimmjow was still talking to the two people he'd left him with.

"Grimmjow?" Uryū did look surprised now. "I thought he was a love 'em and leave 'em sort of guy. When did he start seeing people seriously?"

"H-he just did, with me, so we're both getting used to it, this whole relationship thing," he stammered as he felt his cheeks still warm. He hated that.

"Huh. Well, I hope it works out for you." Uryū didn't seem too interested in continuing their conversation so Ichigo swallowed and smiled at him.

"Okay, I'll see you later," he told him, giving a little wave as he stepped back over to where Grimmjow was standing, alone now.

"Old friend?" he asked as he sipped a cup of something that smelled like beer.

"Yeah, from high school. Sort of cut him off like Renji right before graduation," he mumbled sadly.

"Ah, I see," Grimmjow said, nodding thoughtfully. "Well, don't worry on old stuff, ya got new stuff to worry about."

Ichigo swallowed nervously again. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Why don't you mingle a little, I see Shawlong and Yylfordt over there. I'm gonna go say hi." Grimmjow patted him on the back and pushed him into the throng of people. "I'll keep an eye on ya, don't worry."

"Uh, okay, but I don't really know anyone except you, Renji, and Uryū. I'll see if anyone wants to talk," he said, intending to stand on the side of the room until Grimmjow came back to him.

Ichigo watched him go over to the blond-haired man and the dark-haired one that he knew went to classes with them. He huffed a sigh as he navigated the people to go take up space on the side. He was distracted by watching people and didn't notice when someone came up beside him.

"So, yer here with Grimmjow?" a voice startled him and he jumped a little, turning to face a guy he didn't know at all. He was tall with short, straight silvery hair, a wide smile, and eyes that looked half hooded as he stood there. He looked a little older than most the people at this party.

"Oh, um, yeah," he told him, nervously shifting between his feet.

"Hmm, well, what do ya think of him?" he asked, standing a little too close.

"Well, I like him; I'm moving in with him soon," he explained as he stepped back from this guy a little bit.

"Name's Gin Ichimaru," he said and held out his hand. "If yer with him, why are you over here by yourself?"

Ichigo took his hand and shook it, finding he held on a little too long. "Ah, he's just talking to some friends."

"And he left ya all alone?" Gin said with a smirk as he leaned against the wall and looked at him.

"Well, he wanted me to meet other people, but I just wanted to stay over here for a while." Ichigo had a nervous feeling in his stomach about this guy.

"See, I'd never leave ya all alone," he said, moving closer to him. "I think it is rather rude to leave ya to yer own. I'd be afraid someone would come and swoop in on you."

"I don't think anyone would be so bold as to do something like that," Ichigo said and stepped back against the wall, unable to move away any further. He was quite literally cornered.

Gin still wore his smirk and moved again closer, this time reaching out and putting his hand on Ichigo's hip. Ichigo's eyes widened and he hoped Grimmjow didn't see this because he would get angry. "Oh?"

"Look, you're a nice enough guy, but I'm here with Grimmjow," he said and reached down to move his hand off of him.

Ichigo swallowed and looked around, but he'd lost sight of Grimmjow. He started to panic a little bit because this guy was pressing in on him. He was about to make some excuse of having to go to the bathroom when someone startle him by grabbing his bicep. He gasped and looked over to see Grimmjow standing there with a glare on his face toward Gin.

"Gin, why are you over here?" he asked as he pulled Ichigo out of the corner. His grip was tight, and Ichigo knew he was angry.

"Just chatting with this boy here." He smiled and took a half step back away from them.

"This boy here is mine," Grimmjow growled in return.

"My mistake, my mistake," Gin said, holding up both hands and stepping back again. He turned and left to go back into the crowd.

Ichigo felt a flicker of fear of Grimmjow at that and wondered what he was going to do. He felt his fingers on his bicep flex a little bit and he let go. "That guy," he murmured. "He's always trying to chat up any new young guy that comes around. He's far too old to be still playing the field. He graduated over three years ago."

"I-I'm sorry," Ichigo stammered, still sensing that Grimmjow was angry.

Grimmjow turned to him and then grabbed him by the hips to pull him up against him. He growled a little in his throat and leaned close to Ichigo's ear.

"You belong to me, no one else. They need to respect that," he whispered. "You're my good boy, not anyone else's."

Ichigo licked his lips as Grimmjow stood up, taking one hand and running it over his head and sighing. "Come on, let's go meet the princess of honor. Renji's been with her all night."

They walked toward the front of the room and Ichigo saw Renji sitting on a loveseat with a short, dark-haired girl. She was holding a cup and drinking something as they walked up. She looked up, locking eyes on them. Renji waved as they approached.

"Yo, Grimm, Ichi. Rukia, this is an old friend of mine from high school, Ichigo, Grimmjow's latest." He grinned as he leaned back on the loveseat and grinned.

"Don't say it like that, dumbass," Grimmjow muttered. "Hey, Rukia. Congrats on getting the internship at your brother's building. Though you probably had an advantage with your name, and all."

"Actually, no, my brother was adamant that I had the same shot as everyone else. I earned the spot I got among stiff competition," she explained. "Nice to meet you, Ichigo," she smiled and reached her hand out. Ichigo shook with her quickly.

"Um, yeah, congratulations on your internship." He smiled and tried not to look nervous as he felt.

Renji hugged an arm around her and looked up at Grimmjow. "Well, seems we both decided to settle down," Renji commented.

"Grimm? Settle down with one person? That's a miracle," Rukia said, smirking at them.

Grimmjow sighed. "I can be with one person, ya know. It's not that surprising."

"I keep telling him to wait another week and see if it still sticks," Renji commented, holding his arm around Rukia.

Ichigo felt his cheeks grow warm, and he felt Grimmjow grab him by the hip and pull him closer to him. He glanced at him and swallowed. He wondered if he was still mad over the thing with Gin. He listened as Renji and Grimmjow talked a little while and then he was being steered away from the couple and back into the room.

"I'm about ready to leave, how about you?" Grimmjow asked as he pulled Ichigo off to the side of most the others. "I've talked to everyone that I wanted to."

Ichigo swallowed and nodded. "We can go whenever you're ready," he responded, really ready to be out of this place. He felt like everyone was staring at him and judging him.

They told a few people good bye and headed outside. Once out there, Grimmjow growled and seemed to be angry again. Ichigo slid into the passenger seat and looked over as he got in the driver's side. "Idiots," he muttered.

"What's wrong?" he asked, frowning as he looked over at him.

"Just the things people said while I was in there. How can they doubt what my intentions are?" he continued.

"Intentions?" Ichigo wondered.

Grimmjow sighed and glanced over at him. "Just people don't think I can change. You believe I can change, don't ya?"

Ichigo blinked in surprise at the question. "Yeah, you have changed," he responded.

"I'm serious about this relationship, and no one can see it, or they don't care to," he grumbled as he turned the car on and headed back home.

The rest of the ride was silent, and Ichigo began to worry about what he was worried about. He did believe he'd changed. He was beginning to feel very connected to him, and he had to admit, he hoped his heart wasn't misplaced. He got out of the car and followed Grimmjow into the house. He walked quietly to the bedroom and shut the door behind them.

"I'm sorry," Grimmjow whispered.

Ichigo tilted his head to the side. "Why are you sorry?"

"I guess I realized how everyone thinks these things about me, and they think I'm just going to dump you like all the others. I wouldn't blame you if it made you doubt me," he commented.

"I don't doubt you," Ichigo said with a soft smile. He reached out and cupped Grimmjow's face. "I wouldn't be with you if I doubted you."

Grimmjow nodded, placing his hand over Ichigo's. "You're a good person," he said and looked sad. "You deserve better than me."

Ichigo gasped a little and shook his head. "Don't say that. I really like you, like a lot, and I want to be with you. So, don't say such nonsense."

Grimmjow leaned forward and kissed Ichigo's lips gently as his hands both went to his hips. Ichigo leaned into the kiss and deepened it slowly. Ichigo wondered at this sudden bout of insecurity. He would have never thought anything would make Grimmjow feel that way. He guessed no matter the confidence on the outside, the inner battle was one he couldn't see. So, the best he could do is try to show him how much he wanted to be with him.

After a few minutes of kissing, Ichigo broke it to pull back and grin at him. "I could kiss you forever," he said finally.

Grimmjow leaned forward and planted a quick kiss at the corner of Ichigo's mouth. "Oh?" he breathed. "Do you wanna just kiss?"

"Of course not!" he said, slapping his hands over his mouth and blushing madly.

"Oh, ho. My boy likes to be fucked, does he?" Grimmjow's hands ghosted over his arms and then his hips. "I have to admit, I saw Gin touch you, and it was an effort to not punch him. He doesn't understand the way we are, so he couldn't know. So I didn't. But I will make you mine before we got to sleep again."

Ichigo, still with his hands over his mouth nodded a little, cutting his eyes up at Grimmjow. He couldn't believe what he'd just said. How embarrassing, he thought to himself. It was true, but to have Grimmjow hear him say it. He pulled his hands down and reached down to pull off his t-shirt. Grimmjow did the same and threw them both on the floor. Ichigo panted a little, his jeans now impossibly tight on him. He whined as Grimmjow's fingers slipped behind the button and popped it loose. He ran the zipper down slowly, and Ichigo thought he was going to lose his mind if he didn't hurry up.

Grimmjow seemed, though, to be intent on going slow, so he gently pushed Ichigo's jeans down his hips, leaving him in his boxer shorts with a very obvious problem. He chuckled and ran a hand down his front, making Ichigo gasp at the contact through the thin material.

"Boy, you certainly got worked up quick," he mumbled before leaning forward and engaging him in another kiss. He pulled back and smirked though. "Something else that might be fun. Get up on the bed."

Ichigo cocked his head and stared for a second, but went ahead and climbed up on the bed and sat down in the middle. He wasn't sure what Grimmjow was up to. Then he realized that he was messing around in the bags from earlier. His heart beat a little faster as he pulled out the blue lined cuffs and collar. He came back over and started buckling the ones on his ankles and then to his wrists, and finally he buckled on the collar, making sure there was plenty space under it.

"There, how's that? Anything too tight?" he asked, running a hand down Ichigo's core and stopping to palm him through his shorts again.

"Um umm, fine," he shook his head, heart pounding.

"Now, this I bought before," he turned to the beside table and opened it to pull out something black. Ichigo realized it was a blindfold. Again, he felt his heart hammering in his chest at the excitement of doing this. "Would you want to wear this?"

Ichigo just nodded slowly, not really sure what he was doing, but he knew it was something he wanted to try. Grimmjow put the blindfold on him, carefully adjusting it to cover his face. He felt his mouth go a bit dry at having his sense of sight cut off like this. "N-now what?" he asked nervously.

"Just a minute," Grimmjow said and Ichigo had no idea what he was doing. He could hear him rummaging in the drawer. What else did he have in there?

"Lay down," he told him as he pushed on his shoulders a bit.

Ichigo did it, swallowing against a ball in the back of his throat. He felt Grimmjow slip his shorts off his hips slowly and down his legs. He panted a little from the sheer thrill this was giving him. Not knowing what he was doing was incredibly erotic, he found. He felt Grimmjow push his arms over his head and heard a click and he realized he'd connected the cuffs together. He swallowed again, finding his mouth was overfull with spit now instead of being dry.

"Just relax," Grimmjow purred and Ichigo tried to do just that.

He felt him push his legs apart and wondered just what he was doing. He flinched as he felt something cold touching him, and he realized it was probably a finger. He gasped a little as he felt Grimmjow work what felt like two fingers into him before he pulled back. Ichigo then felt something pushing into him. He had something… He gasped as it slid inside him reaching easily to brush at his prostate. He gasped a little and tried to keep his voice down.

"That's it, good boy," he said and Ichigo felt his whole being shudder at those words.

He moved it back and forth and it felt like it changed a bit in size and then there was a click and the thing started buzzing and vibrating. He nearly lost it immediately and yelped as it buzzed right against his prostate.

"Oh, is that nice?" Grimmjow's voice was like warmth cascading over him in the darkness. "I got this, wondering if it would be something I could use…looks like it was a good purchase."

Ichigo whimpered as he pushed it in and out of him, making his whole body twitch when he moved it.

"Hum, Grimm, I can't, it's too much," he gasped out, trying to keep from going over the edge.

"If we had more time, I'd play with you for longer, but we have a busy day tomorrow and it's late. So I'll take out this little toy." There was a click as it stopped vibrating and he pulled it out slowly. "There, now. Sorry, I can't hold back after that," he moved and Ichigo felt him lay on top of him, sliding smoothly inside in one move.

Ichigo arched under him as he held his bound wrists over his head. Not being able to use his hands was frustrating but it was also exciting. He felt everything so keenly without his eyes. He was already panting as Grimmjow began thrusting into him harder. His own arousal was trapped between them as he clamped his mouth down on him. His tongue delved into his mouth just as deep as he shuddered, unable to hold it any more. He pressed back against his hand but didn't want to break the kiss either. Grimmjow seemed to get that he was close, though, because he kissed his ear, licking the shell of it as he whispered huskily, "Go ahead, you can come for me."

Ichigo's eyes crossed under the blindfold as he felt it slam into him and he swore he saw stars in the dark. He felt Grimmjow move a few more times before he slammed harder into him and released a groan. He held himself up for a few minutes then pulled out. Ichigo was thoroughly sated and blissed out.

He felt Grimmjow move and then heard the click of the overhead light going off. Then he gently pulled the blindfold off. Ichigo blinked at the dim light from the table lamp and locked eyes on Grimmjow's. He sucked in a couple deep breaths.

"Okay?" Grimmjow asked, brushing a hand over his head.

"Yeah," Ichigo finally managed.

"Okay, I'm going to take these off and clean you up, alright?" he said gently as he began to unbuckle the wrist cuffs first. Then he cleaned him off with a warm towel and took off the ankle cuffs and then the collar. He took them all back to the bag they'd been in and then came back. "There, now," he whispered as he slipped into the bed beside him, still naked.

"Shouldn't we get dressed?" Ichigo asked nervously.

"Nah, no one's gonna be home in the morning, so we can sleep in until time to go to your family's house for dinner. So, we can have a lazy start to the day and get our own breakfast," Grimmjow told him as he wrapped both arms around him and settled against Ichigo's back.

Ichigo sighed, melting into the gentle hold. "Okay," he said. "I'm tired now, though," he mumbled before he started to fall off to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Grimmjow woke before Ichigo and just sat and stared at him for a few minutes. He was confused about a lot of things and he wasn't sure what it was that he was feeling. He rolled over and found his cell had a message. It was from Renji.

 _Hey, you left early last night. Was something wrong?_

Was something wrong, he thought and growled under his breath. _Nah, man, just had talked to everyone I wanted to._

It took a minute but Renji was apparently awake. _Yeah, that's not like you. Never seen you leave a party before it was over. Was he whining to go home?_

Grimmjow sighed. Renji was still obviously holding a grudge against Ichigo. _Nah, I was the one that wanted to leave._

 _Rukia said to tell you he's cute._

 _Tell her thanks._ He sighed. Still, no one believed him. Even Renji who had become his closest friend over the last year.

He stared at the phone and wasn't sure what to do. He was serious, but honestly, he didn't know how to be serious about someone. He was going through all the motions, and the sex was good, but it felt like it was incomplete somehow. He was angry when Gin had tried to get close to him, the bastard. He knew that Ichigo was turned on by his possessive streak, but really, he had no idea what he was doing. He picked up his phone again. This time he texted Nel.

 _Sis, I got something to ask you. You up?_

It didn't take long before his phone pinged again. _Yeah, what's going on?_

 _I just don't know how to handle my feelings._ Might as well put it out there for what it was.

There was a long pause before she answered. _What feelings are you talking about?_

 _Toward Ichigo._ He didn't want to have to type out everything, but he knew he might have to do that.

 _And?_

Grimmjow sighed, feeling Ichigo shift beside him. He put his arm around him to keep him asleep for a little longer. _And I need your help._

 _Well, I need more information than that to help._

 _I just don't know how to process this thing. I've never stuck with someone for this long, and he's got such a messed up homelife. I just can't figure out what I feel for him._ He wasn't sure he was getting across his thoughts correctly.

 _I can't tell you what you're feeling, Grimm. You have to figure it out for yourself. Think about what you think of when you think of him, and what you want for him._

She was right, of course. He put his phone on the table and thought about that. What did he think of when he thought of Ichigo? What did he want for him? He sighed, feeling Ichigo move beside him and figured that he would have to think on it more later. Today was a big day for Ichigo with the family dinner. He reached his arms up over his head and stretched.

"Morning," Grimmjow said as Ichigo sleepily blinked at him.

"Hmm, morning," Ichigo responded, stretching himself as he laid there.

"We slept in a bit," Grimmjow pointed out as he sat up in bed.

"Good, I was tired after last night," Ichigo's cheeks reddened a bit to talk about it.

Grimmjow licked his lips and leaned over, kissing the top of Ichigo's head. Ichigo was still wrapped up in the covers fully and just snuggled down into them deeper.

"I'm too comfortable to get up," he mumbled as he pulled the comforter to his nose almost.

Grimmjow gave him an evil smirk and proceeded to pull away the covers until he was completely dumped out of them onto the bed. He gasped as he was suddenly exposed. He turned even redder. Grimmjow chuckled as he tossed the covers back at him. Ichigo scrambled underneath them.

"I don't get why yer so embarrassed about being naked around me all the time. It ain't like I haven't seen every inch of you," Grimmjow commented.

"I can't help it!" Ichigo groused as he snuggled back down into the comforter again. "If you don't like it, tough."

"Oh, I like it. It gets me all hot and bothered," Grimmjow snaked one hand under the cover and found Ichigo's ass. He squeezed and gave Ichigo another wicked grin.

"You can't seriously be…" Ichigo started, then looked down at Grimmjow's state. "You are," he muttered.

"Come on, we're alone in the house by now, and I want to play with the toys I bought for us some more…" Grimmjow murmured, sliding his hand up and pinching at Ichigo's nipple gently. "We don't have to play with the cuffs or anything. And I won't blindfold you this time."

Ichigo ducked his head underneath the covers and wriggled as Grimmjow continued to play with his chest. "You're just trying to get me in the mood to do stuff."

"Do stuff? Is that what we're calling it?" Grimmjow asked with an amused smirk.

Ichigo pulled the covers off and made a pouty face at him. "Well…yeah…"

Grimmjow stopped playing with his nipples for a moment as he leaned over and grabbed something out of the drawer. He held up a chain that had some kind of clips at either end. "Let's try this."

"What is that for?" Ichigo asked, allowing Grimmjow to pull the covers down off his upper body.

"For your nipples," he said as he pinched the other one into growing hard enough to use the nipple clamps. He attached the first one and Ichigo gasped out a little. He went ahead and clamped the other one, letting the chain dangle between them.

"That feels weird," Ichigo said, looking down at the clamps. "It kinda hurts but…not really…"

"That's okay," he told him as he leaned forward and started licking at one of his nipples where it was clamped.

Ichigo gasped out a little as he ran his tongue around and around the place where it was clamped. He then went to the other side and did the same thing. He smirked and looked up to see he was panting a little as he looked down at his chest.

"Do you like it?" Grimmjow asked, moving to slide one hand down under the covers and gripping him tightly. "I think you must like it. Look how wet you are already…"

Again, Ichigo blushed and turned his head away but let out a little moan as Grimmjow began stroking him. He smirked and let go, leaning over to the table again, returning this time with the vibrator he'd used the night before. Ichigo looked at it and swallowed.

"Are you wanting to do that again?" he asked, looking a little wary of it.

"Sure, I want to see you come with it. Then you can suck me off. I won't take long after I'm done playing with you." He smirked grabbing a packet of the lube and opening it. A chocolate scent filled the room as he squeezed it out on the vibrator. "Turn over on your stomach," he instructed.

Ichigo nodded, flipping over. Grimmjow pulled the covers down off of his ass and rubbed it with his free hand a few times. He then gave him a slap just hard enough to pink the flesh. Ichigo jerked but only wiggled more.

"Here, stick your ass up a little, there we go," he slipped up between his legs and slid a finger inside him. Ichigo hummed into the pillow he was clutching. "Still pretty stretched from last night," he mumbled and pressed the tip of the vibrator against him.

Ichigo jerked a little at the hard object sliding against him but relaxed quickly. Grimmjow pushed the vibrator in a couple inches, then pulled it out again. It was a shaped one, so it had wider places in spots. He then slid it all the way forward to the base. Ichigo's legs flinched as he pulled it back out again, leaving just the tip inside. Then he turned it on, hearing Ichigo moan out into the pillow. He grinned, watching as the vibrator slid easily in and out of him. It was mesmerizing in a way to watch. He slid it in most the way and turned it up a little more. This caused Ichigo to let out a strange noise that made Grimmjow smile.

"You seem to like it, Ichi. Does it feel good?" he asked, slowly pushing the vibrator in and pulling it back.

"Hmmm, yes, it feels good…" he managed to get out.

"Good, good," he said as he continued. "Tell you what, you come when you're ready, alright? I know this thing is going to make you go quick…"

"Ngh," was the only response as he started to twist the vibrator a little as he pushed it in. He realized the night before, the trick with this wasn't how fast it was, it was where the vibration was centered. If he pressed it just right, he could get it to vibrate right against the prostate, which was sending Ichigo into near spasms already. He saw Ichigo start to tense and begin to push back against him.

"There you go, good boy, good boy," he muttered as Ichigo pressed back against him. At his words, Ichigo made a choked sound and his body stiffened. Grimmjow smirked as he pulled the vibrator out and turned it off. He set it aside to be cleaned later. "Roll back over," he told Ichigo.

Ichigo rolled back to his back, leaving a wet spot where he'd been laying. Grimmjow would have to change the sheets again. He leaned up and kissed him, letting their tongues tangle with each other for a little while before he sat back. Ichigo sat up and got the idea as he crawled back to him and began to suck and lick at the head.

Grimmjow put his hand in his hair and pressed him down further on him. Ichigo went with it, and Grimmjow could tell he was hitting the back of his throat now. He wondered how much Ichigo could take of him? He thrust his hips up a little into his mouth, feeling the tightness of his throat around him. Ichigo swallowed convulsively against him for a minute until Grimmjow pulled his head back up off of him. Ichigo was panting, with eyes watering.

"Good boy, you are doing so good," he said as Ichigo leaned over and went down on him again. This time, Grimmjow knew he was going to hit his peak quickly. He put his hands in his hair and slammed back up into his mouth, feeling his throat around him. He thrust up into his mouth a couple more times before he was coming down his throat.

Ichigo popped up, sputtering a little and looking a bit red faced. Grimmjow leaned over and grabbed him by the back of the head and pulled him into another kiss. They parted, both out of breath and Grimmjow smiled at him.

"Good boy," he said, and he saw the reaction to those words as he petted his hair in the back. "You are such a good boy."

"Can we take these off?" Ichigo said, looking down.

"Of course," Grimmjow said as he leaned forward, unclamping each one. Ichigo sighed out and touched his nipples where they were incredibly red now.

"That was interesting, but you nearly choked me!" Ichigo frowned at the last part. "You know how big you are? That's a lot to take in!"

Grimmjow chuckled a bit. "Yeah, yeah, but you took it just fine. Ya didn't choke, and you seemed to be into it."

Ichigo looked a little pouty though so Grimmjow leaned forward and kissed his lips again. Ichigo responded, licking his lips and leaning forward into it. Before long they were engaged once more in a kiss that led to them finally parting with panting breaths.

"We should get dressed and have breakfast," Ichigo mumbled as they rested their forehead against each other.

"We could go like this, no one's home…" Grimmjow started.

"No!" Ichigo said leaning back and glaring at him. "I'm not walking around the house without clothes on!"

"Alright, fine," he said and got up to pull clothes out of his closet while Ichigo rummaged through the bags of his clothes.

When they were both dressed Grimmjow took Ichigo by the hand and led him down to the kitchen. They found that his parents had left breakfast plates for both of them in the fridge. They heated them up and then sat down and ate at the table.

"Are you ready for this visit to your dad's today?" Grimmjow asked as he began to eat.

Ichigo sighed, looking at his plate for a minute before he started picking at it. "I guess. It will be weird, I bet."

"Ah, it will be alright. You'll see. I'm sure it will be fun. You still want me to go with you?" he asked tentatively.

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah, I'll need someone there for me. If you don't mind."

"Of course, I don't mind. It's the least I can do for you," Grimmjow didn't add the _as your boyfriend_ part to it. He didn't know if that's how Ichigo saw him.

"Thanks," Ichigo said with a smile and finally started eating his breakfast.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

As they approached the door, Grimmjow felt himself grow a little nervous, and he knew that Ichigo had to feel the same way.

"Well, here we are," Ichigo mumbled as he knocked on the door.

It was opened a second later by Karin. "Ichi-nii!" she exclaimed, then looked at Grimmjow. "And you." She moved out of the way to let them into the house.

"Is that Ichigo?" Rangiku came out of the kitchen with a towel in her hands. "Hi, how are you boys?" she asked.

Ichigo adjusted his stance and put his hands in his jeans pockets. "Um, okay. Just was looking forward to seeing the girls."

Grimmjow had a feeling Ichigo left his father out of that statement on purpose. He kept quiet though. He didn't want to cause any waves in this event.

"Why don't you have a seat in the living room while I work on dinner. It will be ready in about an hour!" she said and turned back into the kitchen.

Yuzu came running down the stairs and grabbed Ichigo in a hug. "Anaki!"

Ichigo hugged her back and smiled at her. "Hey Yuzu. How are you?"

"Just fine," she told him and pulled him by the hand towards the living room.

Grimmjow followed along, feeling decidedly out of place. Part of him really wished that Ichigo would do this on his own. Then again, another part wanted to make sure things went right and he was okay. He was so confused about all of this emotional stuff. He didn't know what to do with it and he had no idea how to even talk to Ichigo about it.

Isshin was sitting in the living room, waiting for them to come in. "Son! And Grimmjow, wasn't it?"

"Yes, that's right," Ichigo spoke up before Grimmjow could answer.

"Please, sit down. Rangiku is busy making a lovely dinner for everyone. I know it's early, so I hope you didn't have a late lunch or anything," Isshin seemed nervous as he spoke.

"Nah, we ate early, had brunch," Grimmjow explained as he sat down on the sofa next to Ichigo.

"Good, good. So, um, Ichigo… why don't you tell me about yourself?" Isshin asked as he leaned back in the smaller sofa he sat on.

Ichigo looked at him for a moment and cleared his throat. "Well, there's not much to tell. I mean, up until this year I lived with those foster parents. I was never allowed to do extracurricular things, so I never really got to get out much in high school." He laid his hands on his lap and twisted his fingers together as he spoke. "Ah, and, um, let's see, I was working at a convenience store for a while until I got laid off. Um, I haven't decided about the office job where I was cleaning overnights."

Isshin nodded his head as he spoke. "That's most of what you've been doing since you got out of high school, working those jobs?"

"Um, yeah. I moved us all out of that household as soon as I could find a place on what I made. It wasn't much and had a really bad landlord that I had to deal with," Ichigo muttered the last, looking away as he said it. Grimmjow knew that he had to be recalling the events that had taken place with that sleazy guy. He still wished he'd gotten a chance to punch him.

"Ichi-nii," Karin said as she entered the living room. "What have you been doing since we've been here?"

Grimmjow saw the slight blush rise to Ichigo's cheeks and he kind of enjoyed the fact he had that much of an effect on him.

"Um, not much except going to school," he said, but Grimmjow could feel Karin staring at him directly. He had no idea what he had to do to get in good with that girl. There had to be some way to make a connection to her.

Ichigo cleared his throat. "Um, how has being here been for you two?"

Karin sat down by Ichigo on the other side of him. "Fine. They've been a lot nicer than Bambietta ever was," Karin said, smiling at him. "Our rooms are nice, and for once we have everything that we need. It feels weird to not be riding the buses anymore."

"It's much better to have transportation," Ichigo agreed. "A lot safer for both of you girls."

"Soccer practices are pretty frequent; I'm surprised you two managed to get to the practices on the regular bus system," Isshin said with an arched brow.

Karin shrugged. "We made it. Yuzu often came with me and watched."

"Soccer?" Grimmjow mumbled, looking up. That was it. He forgot she played soccer. "I play on the school team."

Ichigo nodded. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that. You and Karin should really talk about soccer. I have no idea on the game; I just know I like to watch you play." His eyes widened a bit and he flushed a tad as Grimmjow smirked at him. He'd caught what he said. Boy, if they hadn't been around his family, he would have tackled him for that.

Snorting, Karin got up and went back to the kitchen. Grimmjow sighed. He wasn't ever going to get in with that girl at this rate. He was planning on sticking around, after all. "So, son, how-how did you and Grimmjow here meet?" Isshin asked.

Ichigo glanced over at him. "Oh, uh, well, we have a class together, and one day a few weeks ago, he asked me out and we started to see each other regularly."

"Ah, I see," Isshin commented, looking at Grimmjow for more information.

Grimmjow cleared his throat. "Ah, I just thought he was cute and hadn't dated a guy in a while, so when I was unattached this time, I decided to ask him. Nothing too special…"

"When you were unattached this time?" Isshin muttered almost under his breath and Grimmjow wanted to kick himself for phrasing it that way.

"Oh, yeah. I just… Well…" he started.

"He dated a lot of girls in our school, which was why I couldn't believe he asked me out when he did," Ichigo interjected. "I turned him down at first."

Isshin nodded. "Everyone has their meeting stories," he said and looked over at Ichigo again. "Ah, had you dated anyone before him?"

Ichigo blinked a little and shook his head. "No, we weren't allowed to date. So, I guess that makes Grimmjow my first boyfriend."

"So, are you, um…" Isshin stammered.

"I'm not gay, if that's what you're wondering. I don't really care about gender or stuff like that," Ichigo explained.

"Oh, okay," Isshin smiled and nodded. "I was just curious."

"Dinner's ready!" Rangiku said from the kitchen.

Isshin stood up and gestured for them to follow him into the dining room. Grimmjow was nervous in the extreme now after he'd pretty much told Isshin he was a player. He didn't mean it to come across that way, but he guessed it had. They came into the large dining area with a big table set with six places for everyone. Ichigo took a seat and Grimmjow sat along beside him. The girls sat on the opposite side and Isshin and Rangiku took up the two end seats.

"I hope you like spaghetti," Rangiku said as she started putting down plates. "We figured it was a good dinner for everyone."

"Spaghetti's great," Ichigo told her with a smile. Grimmjow nodded, deciding he should really keep his mouth shut.

After everyone was served and settled into their seats, it was becoming a bit awkward with the silence that seemed to stretch out before them.

"So, Ichigo, what are you doing in school?" Rangiku finally asked, breaking the silence.

Ichigo looked up at her and swallowed. "Oh, right now I'm taking my basics. I hadn't decided what I want to do after school."

"What do you think you're interested in?" Isshin asked.

Grimmjow thought he looked thoughtful as he sat there for a second. "Um, I don't know. I really didn't think much about my future past getting out of that house. I kinda like biology and stuff like that, I guess." There was another silence until Ichigo cleared his throat. "Oh, um, how do you two meet anyways? You asked us, so…"

"Oh, that's a boring story," Isshin said with a shake of his head. "But if you want to hear it, I guess I should tell it." He looked across at Rangiku. "We were going to the same AA meetings, and got to talking to each other. Then things just sort of went from there."

Ichigo nodded, taking a moment to eat quietly.

"So, what else do you do for fun?" Isshin asked after a few seconds. "Like what sort of things do you enjoy?"

Ichigo looked up at him and seemed thoughtful for a second. "Um, really, besides school stuff, I really don't know what else I like. I never really got the chance to explore things I might have liked in high school. That's why I wanted to make sure the girls got the chance to do the things they wanted to do."

"Yeah," Karin piped up right then. "Ichi-nii never got a chance to go do anything after school. We always had to stay in the house."

Isshin nodded and another silence descended on them again for a few moments. "Tell me, did you get a chance to go on with your martial arts classes that your mother used to take you to?"

Ichigo looked up and smiled. "I haven't thought about that in years. I remember her taking me to classes when I was little. She was always so happy when I did well, and she used to dry my tears when I cried over something small." He paused, looking down. "Bambietta didn't want to take the time to go to classes like that, and she didn't appreciate the fact that I cried so easily."

Grimmjow could feel the awkwardness of the whole situation as though it were palatable in the room. He could tell that Ichigo was doing everything he could to try and make this easier, but it wasn't working too well.

"Did you ever get into any TV shows or movies?" Rangiku asked, breaking the silence again.

"I never really watched TV. It was something that they got to do, but we weren't allowed to watch it. Cang spent most of his time in front of the TV watching sports shows and docudramas. I always liked to read science fiction and fantasy, though. In school, when we got to pick books, I'd pick stuff like that." Again, he paused and took a breath. "I always liked to read about faraway places and things like that. It was always my way of dealing with things, to find a place in a book to escape."

That same silence descended, and Yuzu spoke up this time. "I think that it is nice that we can all sit down to dinner together, you know."

"Yes, that's true," Ichigo said, laying down his utensils and looked over at Isshin. "I don't think we ever sat down together for meals. It was never something that Bambietta thought of doing."

"She didn't seem to be the type that should have had children," Rangiku said sadly.

"No, she shouldn't have," Karin agreed. "I don't know why she insisted on taking in us foster kids."

Grimmjow finished his food and laid down his fork to pick up his water glass. "Um, well, at least you guys don't have to worry about them any longer."

"Yeah," Ichigo smiled, looking at him. "The past is past. There is no use rehashing all those old things again and again. They aren't important now."

Isshin nodded. "True. I'd rather talk about the future and what that will look like for everyone."

Rangiku got up and started clearing the plates, which Yuzu immediately started to help with. She had always been the one to do most the helping with dinner and chores around the house. Things descended into uncomfortable silence again while Karin glared at Grimmjow again.

"Um, so, you both like soccer and play it," Ichigo started, looking between them. "I'm sure you two could talk forever about that, huh?"

"If I wanted to talk to _him_ ," Karin said, narrowing her eyes at Grimmjow.

Grimmjow tried to smile at her the best he could, but he was beginning to wonder exactly how he was ever going to get this kid to not hate him. He would have preferred a little less openly distrusting him. He cleared his throat.

"How long have you been playing?" Isshin asked, crossing his arms and looking at Grimmjow.

"Since I was a kid," he told him, smiling a little. "I started when I was in elementary school and have just loved the sport since then. I watch it on TV when I get the chance, and sometimes go to the schools when they have matches to watch."

Isshin nodded. "Karin said she's been into it starting this year, really."

"Oh yeah? What got ya interested?" Grimmjow asked her, hoping he didn't get his head bit off for his efforts.

Karin stared for a moment before she ground her teeth. "My coach saw how well I was doing when we played in school, and she recruited me to play for the class team."

Yuzu came back with some small plates. She passed them out and sat down, smiling at everyone. "All put away. Rangiku is getting the desert I helped her make for everyone."

"Desert?" Ichigo asked, tilting his head to the side.

They looked up as Rangiku came out with a cake on a stand. It was a round cake with smooth, rich looking chocolate frosting on it. She sat it down in the middle of the table and smiled at them.

"I thought today deserved a special treat. Your father said you used to love chocolate when you were little, so I'm hoping that hasn't changed," Rangiku said as she picked up a cake server.

"Oh, yeah, I love chocolate still," Ichigo said and Grimmjow saw his face light up a little bit. He smiled to himself. He was like a kid sometimes, and he thought it was adorable. He swallowed hard and thought about that. What did he think of him? How did he feel?

Rangiku set about getting everyone a piece of the cake. Ichigo looked happy for the first time that afternoon. Karin still glared a bit at him, but Yuzu seemed to be right at home with everything. He supposed it was progress at least.

"This is delicious!" Ichigo exclaimed with that same grin on his face. "I haven't had a piece of cake in a while, since Grimmjow and I went to that tea place!"

Grimmjow nodded. "That was a nice little place."

"Have you two gone many places?" Isshin asked as Rangiku sat back down to her seat.

"Not a lot, but we've been to the movies and he took me to this one super fancy Italian place that I couldn't read the menu," Ichigo commented as he studiously at the cake.

"It wasn't that fancy," Grimmjow told him with a half-smile.

"Oh, yes it was!" Ichigo argued, looking at him. "I've never seen a place like that before, and everything on the menu was in Italian. Definitely fancier than I'd ever been to."

"It sounds like you had a good time there," Isshin said with a grin as he folded his hands under his chin.

"He spent way more money than I spent on groceries for a week for one meal!" Ichigo turned toward him and looked to be daring him to argue the point.

Grimmjow ran a hand over his head. "Well, it was our first date; I had to try and impress you."

He kept his eye on Karin, and he wondered what the girl was thinking right then. She glared at him again, and he had to wonder if there was any way to get on her good side.

Ichigo was quiet as he finished his cake, pausing to thank Rangiku again for it. Grimmjow could tell things were now becoming much tenser in the room as they ran out of the obvious things to talk about. He wondered how much longer they would endure this before Ichigo decided they were leaving.

"So, now you know about our first date, what about you two? What did you do on your first time out together?" Ichigo was obviously deflecting the conversation away from him back toward them.

Isshin sat up straighter and shook his head. "Nothing nearly as interesting. Our first time out was just for coffee and talking. We thought we were just going to be friends." Isshin smiled across the table at Rangiku. "But it so happened that things went from there."

"That's nice," Ichigo said and shifted in his seat. "Um, you have a nice house, by the way."

"Oh, thank you," Rangiku answered with a smile. "We picked it out because it had plenty of rooms in it."

"Ichi-nii, can I show you my room now?" Yuzu said as she stood up excitedly. "Karin and I have our own rooms! It's so cool!"

"Yeah, I guess so," Ichigo told her as she gestured for him to follow her to the stairs.

Karin watched them go but didn't say anything. One of those uncomfortable silences descended on the table as Grimmjow tried to be as invisible as possible. He cleared his throat, though.

"Do you need any help with the dishes, Rangiku?" he asked, turning toward her and away from Karin's occasional stare.

"Oh, no, dear. Thank you for asking, but I'll get everything. Here, let me clear these desert plates," she stood up and started picking up the small plates from everyone's seat.

"So, um, Grimmjow. What do you do?" Isshin asked, trying to fill the silence.

He looked over at him and wondered how he should phrase it that he didn't sound like an indecisive type. "Oh, multi-disciplinary studies is my major. I'll be graduating this year."

"Do you have any plans for what you want to do after college?" he asked as Rangiku came back to sit down again.

Grimmjow thought for a second. "I'm not sure exactly, but I might do something in business," he explained.

"Oh, that's nice," Isshin said with a nod.

Again, silence threatened to descend upon them. Rangiku spoke up then, though. "So, how long have you been playing soccer?"

Grimmjow was glad to have a topic he could talk about all day. "Since I was a little kid, maybe eight or nine. I just love the sport. I take every chance I can to watch it and love to go to games. I know that the local teams are quite good in the schools." He glanced at Karin, who wasn't glaring at him for the moment.

"Karin has been interested in soccer that long, right?" Isshin asked, looking over at her now.

She looked like she didn't want to speak but she finally did. "Yeah, I've always liked it. But this is the first year I could play on the team because Ichigo could let us go to the practices after school."

"What position do you play, Grimmjow?" Isshin turned toward him again. "Karin's a forward."

Somehow, he wasn't surprised at the fact the girl was a forward. "I'm a defensive midfielder, though sometimes I play forward and goalkeeper."

"That's interesting. So, you and Karin could talk for hours I imagine about it." Isshin smiled, looking between them thoughtfully.

"Yeah," Grimmjow muttered, hoping Ichigo came back downstairs soon. "Seems we could."

Thankfully, he heard the sound of them coming back downstairs. He would be saved from inane conversation. He looked over as Ichigo and Yuzu came back into the dining room. Yuzu looked happy and so did Ichigo.

"Their rooms are nice, thank you for doing so much for them," Ichigo said as he sat down once more beside Grimmjow.

Isshin shook his head a little. "It is the least I can do for my daughters."

"Still, you provided them with very nice rooms and all the furniture they would need. It's really nice," he seemed to be running out of things to say.

Grimmjow saw he was being scrutinized again by Karin's eyes, but at least this time she wasn't glaring daggers at him. This time, she seemed more curious than anything. That at least was a good sign. A little less aggression from her would be extremely nice.

"Well, we should get back before it gets too late," Ichigo said, looking over at the clock on the wall. "I've got school tomorrow morning after all."

"Yes, yes, of course." Isshin stood up and smiled at him. "The girls need their rest too."

"Do you have to go, Anaki?" Yuzu whined as she got up and hugged him.

"Yeah, but I'll see you again soon, okay?" he told her.

"Alright, we'll see you," Karin said as she hugged him next. "Do good in school, okay?"

"I will!" he said as they were walked to the door. "It was a nice dinner. We'll have to do it again," Ichigo told Isshin as they got there.

Isshin nodded to him. "Yes, yes we will. You be careful driving home, okay?"

"Of course," Grimmjow answered with a smile. "Always careful."

They said goodbye again and got in the car. Once there, Ichigo let out a long sigh.

"Thank god that's over," he muttered. "I don't think that could have gotten any more awkward."

Grimmjow chuckled as he pulled out of the driveway. "Yeah, it was pretty awkward. At least your sister was a little less angry by the end."

"I think Karin is warming up to you. It will just take her some time. She's the type that is always overprotective of everyone she cares about." Ichigo smiled as they pulled to a stop at a light. They were about to pull out when a car zipped through the intersection, running the red light.

"Damn!" Grimmjow said as he threw on the brakes. "Idiot!"

"Wow, that was close," Ichigo breathed as they started going again.

"I hate it when people can't follow the rules of the road," Grimmjow grumbled.

Ichigo nodded. "I know. That could have caused an accident!"

"Yeah, we were lucky," Grimmjow agreed as they headed the rest of the way home without incidents.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Moving and Clubbing

The next week went by in a flash. Ichigo got used to having Grimmjow around, and they began to settle into a routine for their schedules. Ichigo was also getting used to Grimmjow's constant desire to have sex. It was becoming readily apparent why he so often switched partners if he was this bad with him. They found the apartment that Grimmjow would move into, having been secured by his mom in a good area but still close enough to the school. Everything was set up for the weekend for him to move, so a lot of time at his place was spent packing his things into boxes.

Because Grimmjow had nothing for a kitchen, it was decided on moving day, he and Ichigo would go to the store and pick up something to use for dishes and silverware. It would be easier just to move it into the apartment straight from the store than to buy things, pack them, and move them. They were renting a small moving truck to put everything in. By Friday, everything was ready. Grimmjow picked up the keys and smiled triumphantly as he held them up to show Ichigo.

Friday night, both of them were too excited to sleep well. In fact, Ichigo had nearly forgotten about their plans to go to a club on the weekend.

"Don't overexert yourself, we have plans tonight, remember?" Grimmjow said with a smirk.

Ichigo, holding the other end of the mattress, was confused for a second. "Plans?"

"That club I wanted to take you to, remember?" Grimmjow told him and Ichigo remembered now that he'd said something about it the week before.

"Are you sure you want to go there tonight? After we've done all this moving?" Ichigo asked, knowing he was going to be tired.

They set the mattress down on the box springs and Grimmjow gave him that same smirk again. "Yeah, it's a great way to relax. Don't worry, there's no alcohol allowed, so no drinking."

Ichigo wasn't sure what to think. He didn't really want to go to this club after moving all this stuff. He wasn't even sure he wanted to go to the place to begin with. But Grimmjow wanted to go, and he was the one paying for things. He wasn't going to tell him no because of that. After all, he was giving him a place to live for free, and he wanted to keep him happy. He was starting to see him as more than just a date and a path to a better life for himself. He found himself enjoying their time together, just hanging out with each other, and he was starting to count on his presence.

"You can wear that collar and cuffs. That way no one bothers you while we're there," he told him with a glance around the now finished bedroom. There was a dresser with several drawers, the bed, and a side table for the bed. They didn't have anything for the living room yet, but that would be something they went to the store for the next day.

Ichigo swallowed and recalled how the soft material felt against his skin and he shivered a bit. He had to admit, he didn't hate it. "Okay, it sounds fun."

"You're worried about somethin'?" he asked, tilting his head to the side and staring at Ichigo for a minute.

Ichigo took a breath and shook his head. "No, just jitters about going to a place like that."

"It's a cool place from what I've heard," Grimmjow said as he grabbed Ichigo and kissed him on the forehead gently. Ichigo didn't know what to do when he acted like this, it was so different from his normal, possessive act.

"I'm sure we'll have a good time," Ichigo smiled, trying to look like he wasn't worried and failing.

"Let's take the truck back, then we can stop and pick up stuff for the kitchen before we get changed for the club." Grimmjow took his hand and pulled him toward the door.

Ichigo nodded, trying to keep the smile on his face for a minute until they were in the truck and headed back to the rental place. Grimmjow had left his car there while they took the moving truck. They got back with the truck, turned it in, and got back into the Jaguar.

"God, I feel so much better in here than driving that truck," Grimmjow smiled, rubbing his hands over the wheel. "Pantera is my favorite thing to drive."

Ichigo nodded, quiet as they pulled out and headed to a big store to buy dishes and things for the kitchen. They ended up picking out a set of red pots and pans, a four-place setting dish set that was white and black, and a set of silverware with black handles. He picked up a knife block, some measuring cups, and a couple other kitchen gadgets. Ichigo helped him pick a set of towels for the kitchen that were red, black, and white patterned.

They got back and cleaned everything, making sure to get each other wet during the attempt to wash up the dishes. They laughed and put everything away, taking note of things they still needed. Once they were done, since they were both covered in sudsy water, they decided to shower before they went to the club. As usual, this led to them both getting in the mood to jerk each other off. After they were done, they got into clothes more appropriate for the club. Ichigo wore a pair of tight jeans and a plain t-shirt. Grimmjow wore jeans with his boots and a leather jacket. He pulled out the collar and buckled it onto Ichigo's throat.

"Is that too tight, or okay?" he asked, running a finger under the edge of the collar.

"It's fine," Ichigo said, face a little flushed. "It's not too tight."

"Okay, here, let's do the wrist ones," he said and buckled the wrist cuffs onto him.

He grabbed Ichigo's jacket for him and held it up for him to get into. He then led him down and out to the car. He felt somewhat better now that they were on the way. He was incredibly curious about this place. He was quite as they drove, playing thoughtlessly with the collar as he stared out the window.

"You sure you're alright with this?" Grimmjow asked as they pulled in to a place that looked like a warehouse with a big sign on it reading Red and Black. There were people lined up outside to get in and it looked like there were plenty of security standing around outside the place.

They stood in line and then paid the fee to get into the place, receiving a wrist band to show they'd paid. The place had low lights all around it, and as Ichigo looked around, he saw many people dressed in much less than he was. Some were being led on leashes through the room. There were chairs and tables near them. Along the back was a long bar, and along the front there was a large stage.

"Nice, huh?" Grimmjow asked, helping him take off his coat and putting it in the coat check with his own.

"Yeah," he whispered, still enraptured by what he was seeing.

In the open area, there were two large x shaped wood frames where people were tied to them being beaten with things that looked like whips or he guessed floggers. He followed Grimmjow as they went to the bar. Ichigo stood there, looking up to see the bartender was a very pale guy with the strangest eyes. The sclera were black and the iris was gold colored.

"Well, you're new," he said with a smirk as Grimmjow stepped up to the bar.

"Yeah, first time here," he told him.

Ichigo was looking around still, eyes darting about to see whatever he could see. "New to the scene too?"

Grimmjow frowned, narrowing his eyes. "How can ya tell?"

"Yer sub doesn't know what to do with himself, and you don't know how to handle 'im yet," the bartender said, sliding a soda across to Grimmjow. "Name's Shiro," he said, extending an arm over the bar to him.

Grimmjow shook his hand and then glanced beside him at Ichigo. "What do you mean I don't know how to handle him?"

Shiro sighed. "You newbies. He doesn't know how to keep his eyes down, and he's obviously not been trained to do so. You have the bearing of a wannabe Dom, but I don't know if you're the type to actually be able to handle the position."

"I can handle doing this," Grimmjow growled, sipping the soda and looking over at Ichigo.

"Well, being a Dom isn't just about sex, you know. And it's more than just telling someone what to do now and then. You gotta care for them and you gotta be strong enough to know when to back down. You can't just do this because you wanna be in charge of someone else. You gotta keep your head about you. Because this is about loving and caring for another person in every way imaginable," Shiro said as he cleaned a glass thoughtfully with a towel.

Grimmjow glanced over at Ichigo, then back at Shiro. "I getcha. I think I understand."

"So, how deep are you wanting to get into the scene? I see you already got him a collar, that's a good first step to keep the unattached Dom/mes off of him. That's a good first step," Shiro looked up as a girl ran over to the bar. She was dressed in a black corset and a pair of purple leggings. Her hair was an untamed mess of purple all over her head.

"Shiro!" she said, reaching over the bar to hug him. "When are you going to be off?"

"Soon, Tilly," Shiro told her as he let go of her.

"Hi!" she said cheerily to Grimmjow and Ichigo.

"Um, hi there," Grimmjow said hesitantly.

"Tilly is one of my partners," Shiro explained, winking at her.

She smiled at them. "Yeah, there's four of us in our group."

Grimmjow arched a brow and shook his head. "I don't think I could share with someone else."

"Possessive, are we? Well, that can be a help becoming a Dom like yer tryin' to do." Shiro put away another glass and smirked at them. "Your first day here, I don't think you'll have any trouble with anyone. Though yer sub needs to learn where to keep his eyes."

Grimmjow glanced at Ichigo, who met his eyes with his own. He looked around and realized that other subs kept their gaze lowered. There was going to be a lot of learning if he did this the right way. For both of them.

"Don't worry about it tonight," Tilly said from beside him. "You can just feel out things and see what you think. There's gonna be a demo on stage later, shibari."

Grimmjow glanced at Shiro with an arched brow. Shiro smirked again. "Fancy rope tying."

"Ah, well, we'll probably walk around for a while," Grimmjow said and set down the now empty glass.

Grimmjow pulled Ichigo out onto the floor so they could mingle around with people. On the stage there was a suspended pole and a couple that were getting ready to do something with a lot of rope. Around the stage, there were several pairs of Dom/mes and subs watching intently. They chose a large chair and sat down. Ichigo wasn't sure where to sit, so he looked around and saw some others who were kneeling at the feet of the Dom/me they were with. He swallowed and knelt by Grimmjow's knees.

"There, can you see?" Grimmjow asked, running a hand over Ichigo's head.

"Yeah, I can see okay," he answered, looking up at the stage as the sub was soon suspended from the suspended pole with what looked like special cuffs on her wrists.

They watched as slowly, the woman was soon wrapped in rope, the knots and shapes standing out against her bare skin. She only wore a bikini of some sort, so most of her was visible as the man worked the ropes around her. The process wasn't fast, but it was hypnotic to watch him work. He eventually stepped away, the sub suspended with her legs bound up to her thighs with the ropes, and her body covered with the intricate knotwork.

"That is beautiful," Ichigo breathed.

"Yeah, sure is," Grimmjow answered, running a hand over his head. "Let's walk around a little again."

Grimmjow was thinking still about what Shiro had said. He watched intently how other couples interacted with each other. There were many different types of subs, he noticed, and a wide variety of outfits that people were wearing. Ichigo almost seemed overdressed compared to most the subs that were there. He was walking toward the large wooden x in the center of the room when someone stopped him.

"Hey man," said a man in a leather jacket and a ripped pair of jeans. "You're new here. Want to play with us?" he gestured behind him to a young man with his head down and looking at his feet. "You look like you could use some help with him." He gave Grimmjow a crooked smile.

"Um, yeah, sure," he said as he glanced at Ichigo. "Sounds like it could be fun."

"We're in a private room over here," he said and motioned for them to follow.

Grimmjow shrugged at Ichigo and followed him. They came to one of the rooms on the back side of the room and walked in behind him. The room had a bed in the center and a couple armchairs on either side of it.

"I've come here a lot," he told Grimmjow as he shut the door, turning the lock on the inside. "I'm Saber. This is my sub, Rose Red."

Grimmjow noticed that the sub did indeed have a red collar on with a rose charm beside the tag that was on it. He was shorter than Ichigo and had long black hair pulled back to the nape of his neck.

"Um, I'm Grimmjow, and this is Ichigo, ah we don't have any other names for this stuff yet," Grimmjow explained. "Tonight is our first night out like this."

"Ah, well, you have a lot of things to experience, then," Saber said with a smirk. "Rose, why don't you show Ichigo here what you're good at."

"Yes, Sir," the dark-haired man said, dropping to his knees in front of Ichigo and starting to unbutton the jeans he was wearing.

Ichigo gasped and looked up wide-eyed at Grimmjow. "Um, wait a minute…"

Grimmjow arched a brow and looked at Saber. "What is he doing?"

"I thought you wanted to play?" Saber said with a smirk. "Having Rose show off his fellatio skills is one of our favorite things to do with our playmates."

Grimmjow frowned a little, unsure how he felt about that idea. "I didn't know they'd be doing things like that together."

"Aw, are you a possessive type?" Saber said, taking off his leather jacket and tossing it on the back of a chair. "You need to let your sub have some fun. Watching is a good way to get in the mood for the more intense stuff."

"Ichi-babe, what do you think?" Grimmjow asked. Rose had stopped undoing his jeans and just kneeled there waiting to be told what to do.

"I don't know, whatever you want is fine with me," Ichigo said, swallowing thickly and glancing down at Rose.

Grimmjow thought about it for a second, then shook his head. "Nah, I don't think I'm okay with him being with other people."

Saber sighed. "Well, that takes some of the fun out of it. Rose, come over here, then," he said, and Rose got up and went to kneel in front of Saber. "I take it neither of you have had any training?"

Ichigo shook his head and Grimmjow put an arm around him. "No, this is our first time doing any of this stuff besides just a little kinky stuff."

"Well, this is more than 'just a little kinky stuff'. Are you sure you're up to it? This Lifestyle isn't for everyone," Saber ran his hand over Rose's head as he spoke.

"I, I mean we, would like to learn more about it," Grimmjow said with a nod.

"Your sub doesn't seem too sure about this," Saber commented, tilting his head to the side.

"I do!" Ichigo said as he looked at this other man. "I mean, I'm just figuring out myself."

With a snort, Saber stood up and walked over to him. He was a slight bit shorter than Ichigo, but not by much. He reached out and grabbed Ichigo by the chin and turned his face to the side and back.

"Are ya sure you can do this?" Saber asked, feeling the resistance Ichigo gave him.

"I-I just don't like doing what other people say. Besides Grimm. When he does it, it makes me feel funny." Ichigo looked over to him and back to Saber.

"Hmm," Saber hummed and stepped back. "It is possible to be an exclusive pair with each other. But you still have to follow protocols. You can't just be unruly. I mean, you can if you're a brat type. But I don't seem to get that feeling off you." Saber sat back down on the chair where his jacket was laying.

Ichigo didn't seem to know what to do with himself as he stood there watching the other sub where he kneeled on the floor. "I-I w-want to be…" he started.

"Be what?" Saber asked, still running his fingers through Rose's hair.

"A g-good boy," he said and blushed hard.

Saber smirked. "A praise kink," he muttered. "Well, that's easy enough." He looked over at Grimmjow. "You have to take control of him. He's got no discipline yet, and that's up to you to instill in him. His failings become your failings in this. First, a matter of protocol is where he should be when you are standing somewhere."

"Where he should be?" Grimmjow asked, glancing at Ichigo an back to Saber.

"Sure. Subs generally follow pretty basic protocols. So, walking behind and to the left of their Dom/me. Or, like Rose, kneeling when I stop for some reason." Saber stood up and stepped over in front of Ichigo. "Do you think you could do what Rose does?"

His mouth worked for a second and then he nodded. "Yeah."

"Then do it," Saber said with a sigh. When Ichigo didn't move, he looked at Grimmjow.

Grimmjow nodded at him. "Do what Rose does."

Ichigo swallowed hard but dropped to his knees to try and copy the way Rose was sitting on his heels with his hands flat on the top of his legs. Saber nodded and looked to Grimmjow. "It seems insignificant, but it is important. If you're getting into the BDSM world, you need to know what that means."

"And what does it mean?" Grimmjow asked, moving closer to Ichigo by a couple steps until he could reach out and touch him.

"Bondage and Discipline, Domination and Submission, and Sadism and Masochism." Saber glanced down at Ichigo. "He's a pleasureslut, obviously. With a praise kink. Rose is a bit of a masochist and likes to be flogged. He's a painslut. Different subs get off on different things, and I don't just mean in a sexual way. There's a lot more to it than that. Sex is a nice bonus, but not necessary."

Grimmjow nodded. "I think I get it. It's a lot more complicated than I thought it would be."

Saber nodded. "Yeah, so, I can show you a few more things, if you want. But you'll need to do your own research on some of this stuff."

"Alright, I'm all ears," Grimmjow said with a smirk as he reached down and ruffled Ichigo's hair thoughtfully.

Saber reached Rose's face and tilted it up toward him. "Why don't we show our new friends what we came in here to do."

"Yes, Master," Rose said without taking his eyes off of Saber.

"What you came in here for?" Grimmjow asked, curious now.

"Hmm, before I asked you to play with us, I had planned just to finish up our night together in here. So, do you want to do that, boy?" he asked, standing up from the chair.

"Of course, Master," he said, eyes following Saber as he moved toward the bed in the center of the room.

"Come on then, I know you like to show off for people. Maybe they'll join us…" Saber said as he beaconed Rose toward him. Rose got up and went over to the bed and waited for instruction. "You don't have to play _with_ us, if you want to just have your fun."

Rose was wearing a pair of latex shorts of some sort, and Saber pushed him to lay down on the bed on his back. He then slipped the shorts down off of his hips to reveal he wore a chastity device underneath with a little keyed lock on the side of it. Grimmjow tilted his head to the side and watched as Saber pulled his necklace out of his shirt and unlocked the small lock. Rose let out a sigh as he pulled the plastic item off completely.

"Now, my Rose doesn't need to have a ring anymore; he can hold off until I tell him to come. What about yours? Is he able to hold himself or does he need a cockring to help?" Saber asked, glancing down where Ichigo sat on his knees still.

Grimmjow glanced at him. "Well, we're just beginning this so I should think he's not that good at holding himself…"

Ichigo blushed suddenly, looking over at Grimmjow and wondering just what he was thinking of doing. Saber reached in his pocket and pulled out a sealed ring and handed it to Grimmjow. "If you want to play too."

Grimmjow looked at Ichigo and back to Saber as he pulled the shorts the rest of the way off Rose's body. He could see that there was a plug seated in him with a round, red crystal at the base of it. Saber reached down and slipped it out of him, making him moan a little at the action. Grimmjow could see he was also obviously really into the scene.

"He likes to be watched," Saber said as he pushed his knees back a little and rubbed against him with his jeans still on. "You don't have to do anything if you don't want to, just being in here is enough for Rose to get off on it."

Grimmjow swallowed a thick ball at the back of his throat and glanced back down at Ichigo, who was staring at Rose and Saber with wide eyes. "Come on," he said finally, motioning for Ichigo to come to him.

Ichigo got up and walked over to him, eyes never leaving Rose where he was laid out on the bed. Grimmjow could see his breath quickening and his state was obviously interested in what was going on. Grimmjow put a hand against his face and turned him to face his direction.

"Do you want to join them?" he asked, seriously. He wasn't going to make this choice on his own. "We don't have to."

Ichigo licked his lips thoughtfully and then looked back at them. "No, I'm…uh…well…" he stammered.

Grimmjow smirked and reached a hand out to grasp at his crotch, feeling him hard against the jeans he was in. Ichigo swallowed noisily then flushed red.

"Lay down then," Grimmjow growled and Ichigo laid down beside Rose.

Saber looked over at him and smirked. "I figured you wouldn't just watch…"

Ichigo didn't know what to do with his hands as Grimmjow began to undo his jeans and work them down off his hips. Rose reached over and grabbed his hand and began sucking on his fingers. Ichigo's eyes went wide as he watched the other sub lave his tongue around the digits. Grimmjow had gotten his jeans off and tossed to the side. He stopped and stared for a minute as Rose looked absolutely blissed out by sucking on Ichigo's hand. He swallowed dryly and ran his hands down Ichigo's hips.

"There, now, we'll need some more accessible clothes if we come here often," Grimmjow muttered as he took the ring Saber had given him out of the package and slipped it down over Ichigo's arousal.

Ichigo was paying all of his attention to Rose who was still sucking and licking his fingers. Grimmjow looked over and saw that Saber had pulled himself out of his jeans and was about to slip into Rose. His own arousal was pressing painfully against his own jeans. He undid them and pressed against Ichigo as he moved his legs up and pushed them back. He kept watching Rose as he continued sucking on Ichigo's hand. He slipped against Ichigo then, surprising him into looking down at him where he stood at the side of the bed.

"Does he always do that?" Grimmjow asked as he rubbed against Ichigo.

Saber chuckled a bit and looked over at him. "He's got a thing for oral stuff."

"Here, you didn't bring any lube with you," Saber said as he reached over and picked up a small plastic bottle and tossed it at Grimmjow. "Rose was already lubed from earlier."

Grimmjow caught it and flicked it open with one hand and squeezed out some on his hand. He coated himself quickly before he plunged down into Ichigo with one hard thrust. Ichigo arched up, gasping out a bit and scooting closer to Rose. Saber was working slowly on Rose, causing the boy to use both hands to hold onto Ichigo's while he licked his fingers still. Ichigo was still looking at him, and suddenly, Rose let go of his hand and reached up and grabbed his face. Rose pulled him in and started kissing him. Grimmjow watched with wide eyes because it was hot as hell when he thought he would have been bothered by it.

Rose had interlaced his hand with Ichigo's that he had previously been suckling. Saber leaned over and whispered in his ear, "You like him? Does he taste nice, Rose, you little slut?"

"Hmm," Rose hummed, only trying to deepen his kiss with Ichigo.

Ichigo was receptive to him, and was responding to his heavy kissing as Grimmjow thrust into him slowly at first. Saber looked over and smirked at Grimmjow. "They're cute, aren't they?"

Grimmjow couldn't answer because he was trying to keep from coming right then because watching them kiss was more arousing than he thought. He knew he was starting to rub into Ichigo's prostate because he was whining with every thrust. He was leaking profusely onto his belly and Grimmjow imagined without the ring he wouldn't have been able to hold on as long as he was.

"Rose, I'm not gonna last with you making out like that. Go ahead and come when you want to," Saber mumbled, leaning over and stroking a hand between them.

Grimmjow panted from the effort of holding himself back, being in a similar state as Saber. He reached between them and slid the ring off Ichigo. He leaned over and growled in Ichigo's ear, "That's my good boy." Ichigo stiffened immediately, whimpering into Rose's mouth where he was still plundering him. Grimmjow didn't last much longer, thrusting into him deeply a couple more times before he came.

He pulled out and Rose immediately rolled toward Ichigo, grabbing him and still kissing him furiously. Saber, who had cleaned himself and Rose off, laughed a little and slapped Rose on the ass.

"Boy, let go of 'im."

Rose, panting for breath, leaned back away from Ichigo and looked up at Saber with hooded eyes. Ichigo just looked shocked into silence because of what had just happened. Saber tossed the paper towel roll at Grimmjow. He pulled off one, and cleaned Ichigo and himself before tossing them to the nearby trash can. Saber had sat down beside Rose and was snuggling up with him and murmuring to him. Grimmjow sat down beside Ichigo and laid over to nuzzled into his neck.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked, reaching out and brushing a hand over Ichigo's head.

"Uh huh," he muttered as he looked at him with wide eyes.

Grimmjow leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips. Ichigo responded immediately again, melting into him and deepening the kiss immediately. He slowly explored his mouth with strokes of his tongue. After a few minutes, they separated and Grimmjow sat up.

"Here," Saber said and tossed Grimmjow Ichigo's jeans.

He grabbed them and helped Ichigo get back into his clothes. Ichigo was still quiet but Grimmjow thought it was because it has been pretty intense. Saber helped Rose get into his shorts again and them helped him up.

"Why don't we go get something to drink, and we can relax after that fun little romp," Saber said as he put his arm around Rose as he stood there looking at the floor.

"Yeah," Grimmjow said and pulled Ichigo to his feet beside him. "Sounds good."

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Ichigo wasn't sure what he thought about the club, but he knew he liked the rush he got when Grimmjow gave him some sort of instruction. He especially liked hearing that he was being a good boy, and he would do a lot just to hear that. Seeing that there were other people that did the same thing helped a great deal toward normalizing those desires. He didn't quite understand them yet, but after talking to Rose for a while, he began to see a few things.

He was lost in thought as they drove to meet Renji for lunch the next day. He jerked when he felt Grimmjow poke him in the side.

"Hey," he muttered, looking at him. They were stopped at a red light.

"I said, are you feeling okay? You're acting a little out of it today," Grimmjow said as he took off out of he intersection toward the pizza place again.

"Just thinking," he said, looking out the window at the world moving past them.

"Well, we're here," he said as he pulled in and turned off the car.

Ichigo nodded, still a little lost in his thoughts as they got out and went into the place. Renji was already there waiting for them. They got seated and ordered a large pizza for them to share and drinks. The waitress came back shortly with their sodas. He sipped his quietly, not sure what he wanted to say. He still felt like Renji still held it against him when he cut off their friendship.

"So, did you do anything fun last night?" Renji asked as he took a drink and looked between them.

"Yeah, we went to that club down on fifth," Grimmjow said with a smirk.

"Oh, isn't that the fetish club?" Renji inquired, leaning forward a little and lowering his voice.

Grimmjow smirked. "Yeah, nice place. Met some cool people, got to know a few new things."

Nodding his head, Renji turned to Ichigo and smirked. "No wonder you've kept his attention. Yer into that kinky shit."

Ichigo's eyes widened a little and his stomach fell. He didn't know how to answer that sort of statement. He instead just looked down at his hand. Grimmjow snorted a little and put an arm around Ichigo's shoulders.

"Nah, ain't like that, you know. I'm just tired of the chase and decided that I like what I got. I don't need to go chasing others anymore." Grimmjow looked up as the pizza was brought out. The waitress set it down on their table and took their order number off.

Things got quiet for a second as everyone grabbed a slice. Ichigo stared at the pizza on the table and wondered what else Renji thought about their relationship. Ichigo knew it was more than sex for Grimmjow. It had to be. He'd done things with him that he'd never done with anyone else. That meant something. Right?

He caught their conversation again. "…Rukia. She wanted to know if you two wanted to do a double date and see a movie this week sometime," Renji was saying.

"That sounds fun, don't you think, Ichi?" Grimmjow asked, smiling at him.

"Um, yeah, we could do that," he said, picking up a second slice of pizza so he had a reason to stay quiet.

"Then it's settled. I'll text her and figure out what day is good for her, then let you know," Renji smiled again and picked up another piece of the pizza. "She's still amazed you're with the same person still. She said something special must have happened that Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez actually stopped playing the field."

Ichigo couldn't help the sick feeling in his stomach anytime someone brought up Grimmjow's past of going through partners. There was a little part of him that feared that Grimmjow would get bored with him and decide to dump him suddenly. Hearing someone mention it made that come to mind glaringly.

"I know, I know, but I like being in a steady relationship for once. Nice not to have to worry about finding someone to go out with or have fun with." Grimmjow squeezed Ichigo's shoulders and then dove back in for another piece of the pizza.

"Sure lucked out for you, though, Ichigo," Renji said with a smirk as he put down the crust from his piece of pizza.

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked, stomach still twisting a bit.

"Well, to find Grimmjow here right when you needed a place to stay and all. Couldn't have come at a better time for you since you got found out with your sisters and everything. Guess cutting off everyone didn't work as well as ya planned," he said with shrug.

Ichigo felt like someone punched him at those words. He still thought he was after Grimmjow's money and it wasn't true. He started to say something, but Grimmjow spoke up instead.

"We got moved yesterday, you'll have to come by and see the place. Not real big, but in a good area and close enough to the school." Grimmjow didn't seem to acknowledge what Renji had said, and just moved on about things. Ichigo tried not to let it bother him, but it still made him sick to his stomach that Renji thought that way about him.

"Oh yeah? Well, have to come by the place and check it out. Must be nice getting out from under your parents' eyes all the time," Renji said, wiping his mouth with a napkin and setting it down on the now empty pizza pan. "Heh, I bet your sisters must be enjoying their time on their own for a change…"

Ichigo didn't know why but that statement hit him the wrong way. He gasped a little and then knew he had to get up.

"I-I gotta go to the restroom…" he said as he stood up and escaped to the bathroom.

He sat down in one of the stalls and felt the weight of everything on him. He didn't want to let it get to him, he really didn't. He found himself trying not to cry though. He couldn't stop it though. He heard the outer door opened.

"Ichi?" he heard Grimmjow's voice.

"Yeah?" he answered, trying to keep the waver out of his voice.

"You okay?"

"Yeah…" he could tell he was failing at acting like he was okay.

He heard Grimmjow lean against the door. "He didn't mean anything by the shit he said, you know, he's a dumb ass."

Ichigo swallowed hard. "Yeah, I know."

"Come on out. I told him we were going back home. He's already left," Grimmjow said softly.

"I'm sorry. It's stupid," he said, sighing.

"It's not stupid. Let's just go home, okay?"

He stood up and unlocked the door. Grimmjow moved away from it and he opened it and stepped out, keeping his head down.

"It's okay," Grimmjow told him as he put his arm around him. "Let's go."

Ichigo nodded, making sure not to let Grimmjow see that his eyes were a little damp. They headed out to the car and got in. He sighed and wasn't sure what to tell Grimmjow about what just happened, because he didn't know for sure either.

"I know it bothers you when they talk like that, but you gotta know it's just bullshit, ya know?" Grimmjow said as they pulled to a stop at the light. "Renji doesn't know how what he says affects others."

"Yeah," Ichigo said, looking out the window as they pulled out into the intersection.

Everything slowed down for Ichigo right then. He heard Grimmjow talking beside him at the same time as he saw the car that wasn't stopping. He gasped and tried to say something, anything, but by that point, it was already too late. The next sensation he had was flashing pain in his side as the world tumbled and spun out of control. When the world stopped spinning, his ears were ringing, and he felt something wet running down his neck. He felt sick to his stomach and then the world blanked out.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Hospitals and Devotion

The sound in his ears was deafening. It was a roaring that eclipsed all other noise around him.

 _What the hell happened?_

Grimmjow blinked and tried to get his vision to clear. For some reason he was having trouble seeing right. The roaring in his ears began to quiet down and he heard something else. Was that a siren? He turned his head to the side and remembered he'd been driving with Ichigo… Ichigo. All he could see was his orange head of hair matted with blood. He started to panic and tried to reach for him, but his arms wouldn't move.

"Hey, please, don't move! We'll get you out of there!" a man's voice from nearby.

"What?" he started, turning the other way to be blinded by lights nearby.

"Just a minute, we're going to get you out of there!" the man said again, and he heard a sound like groaning metal.

"Ichi…" he said and reached over to touch him. His arm was covered in blood and shaking. Ichigo wasn't moving.

"Stay calm!" the man said again as he heard the sound of something metallic.

Then he was being dragged from the seat, his body feeling very heavy.

"What about the other car?" a woman's voice near his head as he was laying on something now.

"No injuries. His airbag deployed, and he's only got some bruises and a few cuts."

Grimmjow blinked and was moving again. Someone put something over his face and he tried to swipe it away. He needed to find out about Ichigo. He tried to sit up, only to feel someone push own on his shoulder an tell him to please lay still.

"B-But… Ichi-Ichigo…" he muttered under the mask.

"Another team is seeing to your friend," the one trying to start an IV in his arm tried to assure him. "You need to stay still for us. We don't know the extent of your injuries."

The cool feeling in his veins was recognizable as fluids and something that made his head feel floaty. His vision blurred again, and he succumbed to the darkness that was dancing at the corners of his vision.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Grimmjow's next sensation was waking up rather suddenly. He sat up, panting and found himself in a hospital room. There was an IV line running into his arm, and the room was darkened. He looked around for a minute until the door opened.

"Oh, Mr. Jaegerjaquez, you're awake. How are you feeling?" a nurse in pink colored scrubs asked as she came into the room.

"Groggy," he told her, putting a hand to his head. "What…what happened? I can't seem to remember what happened…"

"A little amnesia is normal after an accident like that. I'm sure you'll remember soon," she said as she went and opened the curtains on the window.

"B-But what… There was a sound… And then…" he stammered, trying to pull together fragments of his memories.

"You were driving through an intersection when a car ran the light. You were lucky to only have that one gash on your arm and a bit of a concussion," she came over beside him.

He looked down to see stitches in a cut along his right bicep. He touched them gingerly with his other hand and frowned. "What about Ichigo?" He remembered vividly seeing his head and a lot of blood.

"The boy in the car with you? I can't really talk about another patient, but I can tell his family that you asked about him," she said and patted his shoulder.

"Please tell them. Can I see him?" he asked, at least glad that he was a patient. That meant he was alive.

"Why don't you rest and worry about your friend later," she smiled and checked the IV lines. "Your family is in the waiting room. I'll let them know you've woken up."

"Please and tell Ichigo's family I want to know how he is, please," he begged as he leaned back in the bed.

He laid there in silence for what felt like an eternity until the door opened to reveal his family. Nel came rushing over first and looked at his arm.

"Oh gosh, are you alright? They said it totaled the car!" she said, running a hand down his arm.

"I'm fine. A little woozy and my arm hurts a little but I'm alright. Did you see Ichigo's family?" he asked, looking at his mother.

"They were still in the waiting room when we came back to see you. They haven't had any news since we've been there," Tier told him as she patted his arm.

Sōsuke came up beside Tier. "Son, you certainly got into quite the accident. That other car was speeding when it ran the light, they said. Luckily, there was a traffic camera there. It caught the whole thing on film. The guy that hit you was trying to say you'd run the light, but the police could tell from the video that he was the one to do it."

"But, what about Ichigo? I need to know what happened to him. He wasn't moving when they got me out of the car," he was agitated and wanted to get up and go find out for himself.

Tier and Sōsuke exchanged a glance. He stared at them, and then at Nel who wasn't looking at him. Sōsuke cleared his throat. "I don't know the details, but it wasn't good. The car hit dead on his door. And the car is completely totaled. He hit you hard enough to bend the frame."

Grimmjow swallowed hard. "That's why I didn't get hurt that bad. It damaged his side of the car. I have to see him!"

Nel put a gentle hand on his and patted it. "Grimm, you need to worry about yourself first. I'm sure they're doing all they can for him."

"But I need to _see_ him. I need to _know._ " He rubbed his arm where the stitches were and frowned at them. "I can't not know. I have to know!"

Nel sighed and nodded. "I can ask his dad about it. Him, his sisters, and another woman are waiting out there for news."

"They said they were going to clear you for release soon, with instructions to keep an eye on you because of the concussion. They don't think it's very serious," Tier said and squeezed his shoulder.

"But… But I need to find out about Ichigo." He was in a near panicked state about it. He had to _know_. He needed to see him, touch him, make sure he was okay.

"You need to make sure you're alright first." Tier smiled at him gently. "Why don't we let you rest, and we can see if we can find anything out from his family."

"Tell his dad I want to hear how he is as soon as possible. Please." Grimmjow was feeling a bit tired though and he leaned back and blinked slowly.

Nel pulled the covers up on him and patted his shoulder again. "Just rest, Grimmy," she told him as he began to slip into sleep.

She sighed and they all three left to go back to the waiting room. Nel saw that Ichigo's family was still there. She walked over and smiled at his dad.

"Mr. Kurosaki?" she asked.

"Oh yes?" he said and looked up at her.

"Have you heard anything about Ichigo yet?" she was worried for them if not.

He shook his head. "The last update we had was that he had a punctured lung from a broken rib. They're dealing with that now. I don't know the extent of his other injuries." He sighed and glanced over to the two girls that were sitting in the next seats over. "Um, you're Grimmjow's sister, right?"

"Yeah, I'm Nel," she said and extended her hand to him.

"Isshin, please. It seems our families are currently entangled, so no need for formalities. How is your brother?" Isshin asked, turning a cup in his hands.

"Concussion and seventeen stitches in his arm, but otherwise okay. He's very worried about Ichigo, though," Nel sighed and saw that the twins were looking at them. She felt a little uncomfortable under their gaze.

"You're his sister." The darker haired girl said, now openly glaring at her.

"If you mean Grimm, then yes," she answered.

She got up and came over in front of her. "If our brother hadn't been with _him_ , he would be fine."

"Now, Karin, this was nobody's fault except the driver of that other car. He ran the light, remember?" Isshin said and sighed. It seemed that he had already had this discussion with her at least once.

"No, it's _his_ fault. Because if Ichigo had never gone with him he wouldn't have been in that car!" Karin snapped.

Nel understood that she was worried for her brother, and she knew that her anger was going to be directed in whatever direction she could see the most fault. Right now, that fault was the fact Ichigo was in the car with Grimmjow to begin with.

"I'm sorry that your brother was injured…" she started.

"Your brother isn't even that hurt, so how do you know anything?" she cried, tears starting to run down her cheeks.

Nel wasn't sure what to say to that. She didn't want to upset her any further. Isshin stood up and put an arm around her.

"Come on now, this doesn't help your brother."

"It was that stupid fancy car of his!" she growled. "If he had a normal car instead of something like that, it wouldn't have been so bad!"

Nel bit her bottom lip and sighed. She had nothing to say to that. Sports cars like Grimmjow's were more dangerous in a crash than other cars. She just nodded and went back over where her parents were sitting. She sat down and felt horrible that she couldn't say anything to help Ichigo's sister.

"It's alright, she's upset," Tier said with a soft look on her face.

"I know, I know. But I understand; I'd feel the same way in her place." Nel figured that they'd been through so much already, and then this happened.

After about twenty minutes, a white coated doctor came out and approached Isshin. Isshin stood up and went to him, the twin girls following and looking at the doctor expectantly. Nel couldn't hear what they were saying, but it didn't look like it was great news. The other twin was crying and went to sit down. Karin sat down beside her and put an arm around her. The doctor left, and Isshin looked awfully calm. He looked over at them and walked over.

"He's out of surgery," he told Nel. "He's got a lot of breaks on his right side, and he hasn't woken up yet. He took the brunt of the impact. They said the car was bent, it was hit that hard. So, now all we can do is wait."

"Grimm wants to see him," Nel said as she looked up at Ichigo's father. "He wouldn't stop asking about him."

Isshin smiled softly. "I'll tell the nurse that he can come visit him. Maybe it will help wake him up."

"Was there a head injury?" Tier asked from her spot seated beside Nel.

Isshin nodded. "Yeah, a concussion and stitches in a bad laceration on his head. It looked a lot worse than it was because it bled so much. They said his clothes were ruined."

"I can bring him something from their apartment," Nel said as she stood up. "I can't do a lot, but I can try to do something for him."

"Y-you can go get something for him?" the second twin asked tentatively as she walked up beside Isshin.

"Yuzu, this is Nel, Grimmjow's sister," he explained to her. "Karin didn't give her a chance to say much."

"Karin is angry," Yuzu said softly. "But if you can bring something from where he's living now, he had a stuffed lion that he kept with him from before our mother died. If you could bring that to him, it would be good."

Nel nodded. "I can do that. I'll ask Grimm for the keys to their place. They should be in one of the bags from the scene. I'll go let him know that he's out of surgery."

She bowed a little at him and headed back to Grimmjow's room to see if he was awake again or not. She quietly opened the door and saw that he was still asleep. She didn't want to wake him if she could handle it herself. She found his things from the scene that had been put in the room with him.

"Nel?" she heard as she was rummaging through one of the bags.

"Oh, you're up. I was looking for the keys to your apartment to get something for Ichigo," she explained, finding the keys at the bottom of the bag.

"Did you see him? How is he?" Grimmjow asked, sitting up in the bed more and looking at her.

"He's still in with the doctors, but he's out of surgery. He had a punctured lung from a broken rib. His dad didn't know what else was going on with him yet, just that he had a lot of breaks on his right side and a concussion too." She walked over and put a hand on his shoulder.

"So, you don't know for sure?" he sighed, looking worried still.

The door opened again, and a nurse came in with a clipboard. "Well, Mr. Jaegerjaquez, you've been cleared to leave by the doctor on call. Did you want someone to bring you some clothes?"

Grimmjow nodded. "My sister can. Can I go see Ichigo?"

"Your friend isn't awake, but when we get you sorted here, you can go visit him. His family is in with him now," the nurse explained as she started checking over the laceration on his arm. She removed the IV and bandaged his arm where it had been.

"Okay, I don't want to go in while they're there…" he said with trepidation in his voice.

"His sister is pretty upset, well they both are, but the one is really angry and might say something about it being your fault," Nel told him as he moved to the side of the bed and put his feet on the floor.

Grimmjow snorted a little. "I'm not that girl's favorite person at all."

"She's just protective over her brother. I can understand that," Nel said with a sigh.

"I even tried to get on her good side by talking about soccer, but it didn't seem to help much," he muttered.

Nel was quiet for a second as Grimmjow stood up, pulling the gown closed in the front. He'd been put in two gowns, one on the front and one on the back. He went over to the bags on the table and pulled out his jeans to see how bad they were. He could see a couple darker splotches where blood had dripped onto them, but they weren't that bad off. His shirt, however, was ruined. The right side was ripped and covered in blood. It looked like the cut had bled quite a bit. Well, he thought, it was a big cut.

"Grimm, look, I'm just wondering…" Nell started to say as he pulled on the jeans.

"Wondering what?" he said, turning toward her.

"This thing with Ichigo. How serious are you?" she clutched the keys in her hand tightly as she spoke. She knew she was treading on thin ice broaching the subject with him.

"What's that supposed to me?" he asked, eyes narrowing at her.

"It's just, I understand you're worried about him right now, and I know you let him move in with you, and…" she trailed off and bit her bottom lip for a second. "Just what is your relationship with him?"

Grimmjow stared at her for a moment. A hundred things went through his mind that he could say. What was he? What were _they_? Were they a couple? Was that what it was, two people that made each other complete and meant something to each other? Was it just a nice, consistent sex release for him? Was it just because Ichigo let him tell him what to do like Renji had said? He swallowed hard and shook his head.

"Look, right now, all I know is I have to find out how he is. He's the only thing in my brain right now, the only thing I care about, and the one thing I've thought about since that car slammed into us." He paused, fiddling with the gown on his front. "I have been having a great time with him, it's true. And we've done a lot of things together that I've never done with anyone before. I've felt ways I've never felt before, and I don't know how to deal with it." He sighed and then took another deep breath. "I just have to make sure he's okay right now. He has to be okay."

Nel nodded. "I'll go to the apartment and bring you back a shirt. I've got something to pick up for Ichigo the girls wanted. Stay here until I get back, okay?"

Grimmjow nodded. "Alright. Tell the folks I'm good and they can go home. I'll call when I get out of here."

He heard his phone going off from one of the bags and dug around for a minute until he found it. It was Renji. He swallowed hard and thought about sending it to voicemail, but he didn't.

"Yeah?" he answered.

"Yo, man, what's up? I've been trying to get hold of you since you guys left the pizza place. I didn't think I pissed you off that bad," he said.

"Um, yeah, sorry about that. I got hit at an intersection by some asshole that ran a red light. I'm at the hospital now."

"What?" Renji's voice was shocked sounding. "Are you okay?"

"I'm gonna have a bad ass scar on my arm from a cut, and I got hit in the head a little bit, but they're letting me out here in a few minutes." Grimmjow paused. "Ichigo wasn't so lucky. The car impacted on his side."

There was a long silence. "What happened?"

"I don't know all the details yet. Just know he's been in surgery and has some breaks. I haven't seen him yet, but they say he hasn't woken up."

"Man, I don't know what to say. What about the Jag?"

Grimmjow blinked, having not really thought about his car much. "Oh, uh, I think it got totaled. I don't know yet. I haven't even thought about the car."

There was another long silence from Renji. "Do you need a ride home?"

"I'm not going until Ichigo wakes up," he said, sitting back down on the bed. "I gotta make sure he's okay before I leave."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Nah, man. I just hafta wait here and see how he is. After his family's out of the room with him, I'm gonna go sit with him for a while." Grimmjow felt like he was heavy at the thought of the fact that he had to do that at all.

"Okay, but just call me if you need anything. I'll be free most the time for you."

"Thanks, I appreciate it. My sister's getting me some clothes from the apartment and all that. So, I'm good here. I'll talk to you later, the nurse just came in with my paperwork." Grimmjow looked up and smiled at her as she waited patiently for him to get off his phone.

"Yeah, no problem. I'll check in with you soon," Renji said and the line clicked off.

Grimmjow sat down the phone and went through the discharge paperwork and going home instructions. It was all pretty simple, and he was to follow up with his regular doctor to have his wound seen to. As they finished, he signed off on everything.

"Can I see Ichigo now?" he asked as she picked up the clipboard.

"Yes, I'll show you to his room if you want. I think his family left for the day, so I can't be discussing his condition with you, though." She waited for him to pick up the bag with his things in it and then led him down the hall toward another room with the lights low on it. She gestured toward it. "He hasn't woken up yet, but he could regain consciousness at any time now."

Grimmjow nodded and went into the room, heart hammering in his ears. He heard the soft beep of the heart monitor and the sound of the oxygen tank. He walked around onto his right side, seeing that his arm was heavily bandaged where it laid outside the sheet that covered him. There was a bandage on his head and his eyes were closed. He watched the gentle rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. He just stood there for a long time, watching him.

"They said we just have to wait," a voice surprised him from the door.

Grimmjow looked up to see Ichigo's father standing there, arms crossed over his chest. He came into the room and stood beside the bed, brushing a hand over Ichigo's head.

"I'm…" Grimmjow just stared at him for a minute. "I'm so sorry."

Isshin smiled at him. "The accident wasn't your fault, Grimmjow. I know that. Don't blame yourself, either."

"But, if I hadn't had him with me…" he began, staring down at him.

"Don't do that to yourself. It was an accident. No one could have known that car would run the light. There was nothing you could have done," Isshin assured.

"How is he gonna be?" Grimmjow asked, putting a hand gently on his shoulder.

"Well, they can't tell completely yet, not until he wakes up. He did have a pretty serious concussion. His arm is broken in two places, and his collarbone on the right side. His pelvis is severely bruised, but it avoided being broken. His right leg also has a femur fracture. Then of course, he had a broken rib that punctured his lung. He has several others bruised as well. All the breaks are clean, though, so it looks like he'll heal well. Just have to wait for him to wake up now." Isshin sighed and smiled down at him. "I just get him back and then I almost lose him. If things had gone a little different, he wouldn't have survived, though. The car took the most of the force, but that side just caved in, they said."

Grimmjow nodded. So much damage… "If it's okay, I'm gonna sit with him for a while."

Isshin smiled and nodded. "Certainly. I'm sure he'd appreciate that."

He turned and left the room slowly. Grimmjow pulled a plastic chair up beside the bed and sat down. He put a hand on Ichigo's head and brushed his hair out of his face.

"Please, just wake up, okay?" he whispered. "I need you to wake up. I gotta talk to you about some things, and I can't do it while you're asleep. So, if you could wake up, I'll be here, I promise."

"Grimmy?" Nel's voice from the door.

Grimmjow looked up and saw she had a shirt lying over her arm and was holding a stuffed lion that he recognized from Ichigo's things. She handed him the shirt and set the lion on the table by the bed. Grimmjow took off the gowns and laid them on the foot of the bed and slipped into the T-shirt Nel ha brought him.

"How is he?" she asked, coming over to stand beside him.

"Pretty banged up," he answered, reaching down and taking his right hand gently. "They think he'll be fine as long as he wakes up and his head's good. He has a concussion too."

Nel didn't speak or a few minutes and just stood there in silence. She cleared her throat and spoke up finally. "Do you want me to take you home? Or to mom and dad's?"

He turned toward her and shook his head. "I'm not leaving until he wakes up."

"Grimmy, I know you're worried, but you can't stay here all the time. They'll call you if you ask them to, I'm sure…" she said softly.

"I can't let him wake up alone." He stated it with such finality that Nel knew she wasn't going to change his mind.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

It didn't take long for the nurses on the floor to put together that the blue-haired guy that refused to leave their patient's side was more than a friend. At first, they hadn't been sure, but more than one had seen him kiss his hand or his head. He sat in the uncomfortable chair all night, sleeping on and off. Soon, the nurses just got used to his presence. He would leave to go get food in the cafeteria or to go talk to his sister that came and brought him a change of clothes the next day.

"It's sweet," one of the nurses, a dark-haired woman named Cherise said as she looked into the room where Grimmjow had fallen asleep with his head nestled in his arms on the bed. "And kind of sad."

"I heard he was driving when they got hit," another nurse, a blonde named Theresa said. "I think he's putting the blame on himself."

Cherise walked back to the nurses' station with Theresa. "The rest of the family comes by to see him, too, but that guy always leaves when they get here."

"You think maybe they don't know?" a nurse in purple plaid scrubs named Kerry said. "You know, that he's, you know."

Theresa shook her head. "I don't think it's like that. The kid's father was the one that said it was fine that he stay in the room with him like that. I think he knows they're a couple."

"You think he'll wake up soon? It's been three days so far since he came in," Cherise sighed, looking over the patient roster for the floor.

"It might be for the best. He'd be in a lot of pain from as much damage as he took in the accident. So, it might be better that he sleeps through the worst of it," Kerry suggested.

"Yeah, but the longer he's out, the worse the outlook becomes." Theresa pulled her ponytail out of her hair for a minute and redid it.

Cherise nodded. "I'll go do his vitals," she said as she headed back down to the room.

She was quiet so not to wake up the other guy as she took down all the information she needed. She looked up to see that his father had come in again. She gave him a smile.

"How is he doing today?" Isshin asked.

"Same as yesterday, I'm afraid, Dr. Kurosaki. I wish I had some news, but he's stable." She sighed a bit and looked back on the other boy that was laying his head on the bed with him.

"Has Grimmjow even left today to go eat?" he asked.

"I don't think so," she said and gave him a sad smile. "He seems very devoted."

Isshin stared at him for a long time. "Yeah, he does, doesn't he?"

"I've got rounds, but I'll see you again, Dr. Kurosaki," she told him and headed out the door again.

Isshin stood and watched. Devoted, huh? He could have written off one night, perhaps, as just being a one off. But he had stayed, even though he didn't even have a decent place to sleep. Was there more to their relationship than he'd assumed? He had noticed that Grimmjow hadn't cared about his car, which Karin said he loved a great deal, even going so far as to name it Pantera. Karin still didn't think much of him, but Isshin was beginning to see him as devoted. He sighed and left the room to think about it. It was something more than just a dating thing, he knew. There was more to it than just that.

A while later, Grimmjow woke up with a stiff neck. He sat up, stretching his arms over his head. He sighed, checking to make sure he hadn't woken up yet. He just wanted to see his eyes open again. He patted his arm and stood up. He figured he should go down to the cafeteria to get something to eat. He scratched his head as he left, the nurses smiling as he passed the nurses' station. He made his way down to the cafeteria, finding himself something to eat. The woman that took the money had been the same the last three days, and she obviously recognized him.

"How are you today?" she asked as she rang him up.

"Oh, doing alright, I guess," he answered as he paid with his card.

"Don't look so down. Everything happens for a reason, you know," she said chipperly and went to help the next person behind him.

He thought about that and it almost made him angry. What reason was there for this? For Ichigo being hurt so badly? For all this to happen? What reason could there possibly be for it? He sat down and ate in silence, checking his phone for the local news and what was going on outside the walls of the hospital. He nearly jumped when it rang in his hand. Luckily, he had it on silent, so it just vibrated and didn't have a loud ringtone. He saw it was Renji again.

"Hey man," he answered as he sipped his drink thoughtfully.

"Yo, what's up?" Renji asked.

"Not much, just hanging out at the hospital still." He picked up his drink and began to walk toward the door, so he could go outside and talk without disturbing anyone.

"Professor's been wondering where you are. I told them you'd been in a car wreck, but I don't think that excuse is gonna fly much longer. Did you email 'em?"

"Yeah, I didn't get a response except from Urahara. He said to take my time getting back. He's a good prof." He opened the outer door and went out into a small outside area where no one was standing.

Renji cleared his throat. "So, like how long are you gonna wait up there anyway?"

"Long as it takes. I told you, I'm not leaving till he wakes up," he said, leaning back against the building.

There was a long silence. "Look, man, I'm not telling you how to live your life, but aren't you going a little far for him?"

For a second, Grimmjow didn't know how to respond to that question. Then he realized the implication of it. "You still think this is like my other hook ups."

"Tigers don't change their stripes, man. You can't go from one-night stands to having a full-time boyfriend like that." Renji paused. "I mean, I get that you like him, and you feel responsible because you were driving the car, but don't you think it's time to get back to your life?"

He didn't expect the rush of anger that came over him at that statement. He just saw red and felt like no one was hearing him. "Look, you've been a jackass about this whole relationship I have with Ichigo. I get that you're still sore over him dumping all his friendships like he did. But he had a choice and it was between his sisters and his friends. He chose his sisters and I can't imagine how hard that was for him."

"Look, man, I just…" Renji started.

"No, I'm not done." His voice had taken the hard edge that it rarely did. "You and everyone else think I'm just playing some sort of game, and even with us getting the apartment, you all think I'm just playing house for a little while. I'm not playing. I'm serious about trying to have a relationship. And yeah, at first it was about sex. But it became more."

"More?" Renji echoed. "Like, are you saying you're in love with him?"

Grimmjow had a sharp intake of breath. Was that what he felt? Was that why he was so confused about everything and couldn't keep things straight in his head about Ichigo? Was it love?

"I ain't saying anything," Grimmjow growled and started to really get frustrated with Renji because of his attitude. "And even if I was, what would that matter?"

"Grimm, I don't know. How would you even know?" Renji's voice sounded serious now.

"Look, I don't know how I'll know, and I don't know how I feel!" Grimmjow was grown more flustered the long her talked about it.

"Aight, man, aight. I'm sorry. I really am, about everything. If I hadn't upset him, y'all wouldn't have left the pizza place when you did, and the accident woulda never happened," Renji's voice had taken on a different tone. He sounded like he was remorseful.

Grimmjow was quiet for a moment, letting the anger bleed away. "It happened. And it wasn't anyone's fault but the guy that hit us. The insurance already decided that it was his fault, so that's all being taken care of."

"What are you gonna do about the car?" Renji asked.

"I haven't even thought about the car," he answered honestly. "I talked to the insurance people when they called, but that was it. I don't care about the car."

Perhaps that statement had more weight than he realized because Renji was silent a moment. "I see. Look, man, I gotta go, so I'll talk to you soon. Text me and let me know when he wakes up, aight?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure. I gotta get back to the room anyway, phone needs to be charged again." Grimmjow clicked off and stood there for a time, breathing deeply.

What was he feeling? He was so confused by all of this. Was it love? Could that be true? His car, his most prized possession, didn't matter right now, and he didn't care. This all started out as a way to avoid the drama with the girls he was so tired of, then Ichigo's drama became the center of his life. And he didn't mind it. Even moving in together, he'd just convinced himself it was for the convenience of it. He was a ready and willing partner anytime he was in the mood, and he was willing to try things Grimmjow had never gotten a girl to try before.

His thoughts went back to the club and the pale bartender. Was this becoming that kind of relationship? He swallowed a ball at the back of his throat and wondered. He just wanted to try out some of the kinky stuff, at least that's what he told himself. Maybe he was looking for more, a deeper connection.

He slid down the side of the building and crouched there with his hands on his head. Why was this so difficult? He was a playboy. He wasn't supposed to get emotionally involved like this. Everyone acted like he would leave Ichigo at any time, and while he didn't intend to do that because he was having fun with him, he hadn't thought it went any deeper. A fun time was all he was looking for, but what had he found instead?

"Hey, man, you okay?"

Grimmjow looked up to see a man in a suit standing near him. He hadn't even heard him come up. He swallowed and tried to smile. "Yeah, I'm good."

The man looked at him. "You don't look all that good. Someone in here that you're close to?"

Standing up slowly, Grimmjow nodded. "Someone I'm trying to figure out what I feel about."

"Considering you're out here like this, I'd say you feel pretty strongly for 'em. Otherwise you wouldn't be so worried looking," he said as he leaned back against the wall beside him. He was a rather plain looking man otherwise, just wearing a plain grey suit with business cut brown hair and dark eyes.

"I guess so," Grimmjow said. "I'm just sorting out things, y'know?"

"Seems to me, you already got it all sorted by the look."

Grimmjow looked over at him sharply and nodded slowly. "Yeah, you're right. I have." He took off toward the door, pausing to turn back. "Thanks, man," he said as he disappeared inside.

He made his way back to Ichigo's room, waving at the nurses as he passed them again. He had his answer. And he knew it all this time. It just was hard for him to admit it. But he could do it. He could tell him the truth, about how he felt. He went in and pulled the seat up to the left side so he could take Ichigo's hand in his.

"Look, I don't know if you can hear me, but I gotta tell ya something. And it's important, so you gotta listen to me." He didn't notice that one of the nurses had stepped into the room. She waited, hand to her own chest. "See, when this all started, it was just for fun. Having a good time, doing stuff with someone I'd never done. Then something happened, and I changed a little bit. I didn't notice it, really, because it was so small at first. But then it got to where my head was filled up with you and thoughts of what we were going to do together. I tried to tell myself it was because I'd never had a steady partner before, and it was nice not going from girl to girl. But that was just a lie I was tellin' myself." He paused to pick up Ichigo's hand and kiss the back of it. "You did something to me no one else could. You made me feel ways I'd never felt before and ways I never knew I could feel."

He chewed on his bottom lip for a second, holding his breath for a moment. "But the most scared in my life was when I looked over in that car and you weren't moving. I was, am, terrified. I think I got it all figured out now. At least, I hope I do. I don't know how you feel, so I just gotta hope you feel the same way as I do." He reached up to put his hand on Ichigo's forehead. "So, I need you to wake up so I can tell you something really important."

The nurse at the door, Kerry, almost had tears in her eyes watching it. She would have done anything to have seen him wake up right then. But, of course, he didn't. The blue-haired boy just sat there and held his hand. She quietly went about taking his vitals for the chart and didn't say anything at all. What was there to say?

Grimmjow clutched Ichigo's hand and laid his head down on his arm. He was emotionally drained and he was almost to the point of exhaustion, really. His back hurt, and his neck was still stiff. He didn't know how long he could keep up staying in the room like this with him.

He was half asleep when Ichigo's hand twitched in his. He blinked, at first not knowing what woke him up. He sat up, hand still lying in Ichigo's, and then it happened again. His fingers flexed against him.

"Ichigo!" he gasped, leaning up to brush his hand over his head. "Please, wake up?"

His eyes fluttered for a second and then his hand clenched Grimmjow's tightly. Grimmjow's stomach was in knots already. He waited for what felt like forever until Ichigo's eyes finally fluttered again, opening a little and closing again once or twice before his head turned toward Grimmjow's hand where it rested on his head.

"Gr-Grimm?" he whispered, eyes finally opening and blinking rapidly.


	13. Chapter 13

"You're awake!" Grimmjow gasped, grabbing his left hand with both of his and squeezing it tightly.

"And you're here," Ichigo said. "Why does everything feel foggy? The last thing I remember was the car…"

"We got hit. Dumbass ran the light and crashed right into your door. I was so scared, you slept for three days!" Grimmjow said and he was actively fighting the urge to start crying. He didn't normally cry, but he was almost on the verge of tears as he sat there clutching Ichigo's hand.

"I can't remember much, just everything on my right side hurt…" Ichigo picked up his arm and stared at the cast.

"Yeah, you broke a bunch of things on that side. So, you're gonna be in here for a while, they think. You even had a punctured lung from a broken rib. It wasn't good there for a while." Grimmjow just couldn't stop touching his hands. "Hey, look, before anyone else shows up in here, I needed to tell you something really important."

Ichigo's head tilted to the side a bit and he stared at him with a curious look. "Are you sure you need to tell me now, I don't feel too clear…"

"Yeah, I promised myself I'd tell you when you woke up. I think…I mean, I know, you've changed me. The last three days were hell for me, waiting to see when you'd wake up, worried you'd wake up while I was gone, and I realized how much I care about you." He took a deep breath. "Ichigo, I think I love you."

Ichigo blinked, hand clutching Grimmjow's for a minute. He opened his mouth but they both heard a nurse.

"Oh, goodness, you're awake!" she said and rushed into the room.

Grimmjow got up, letting the nurse come over and look him over. "The doctor will want to know right away!" she said and pressed the nurse call button. Seconds later, another nurse came in and was chatting with the first one. Grimmjow watched as they looked over his vitals and checked his IV lines and everything. He looked over and the doctor was coming into the room now. He stepped further back, letting them check Ichigo over. He wanted to hear what he had to say; he wanted to know if he felt the same way, but he couldn't get to him right then.

"If you don't mind, I need to do a few things with your friend, can you go to the waiting room?" the doctor asked and shuffled him toward the door.

"Oh, yeah, okay, that's fine," he stammered as the door shut in front of him. He didn't know what to do besides just stand there and stare at it.

Finally, he shook his head and went to the cafeteria. Some coffee or something might help, and by the time he was done with that, maybe Ichigo would be alone again. He had told him; he had done that at least. But now, what would he say? What would his reaction be? Would Ichigo even believe him?

He was startled by his phone vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw that it was Renji again. He hesitated a moment, wondering if he really wanted to talk to him. He stepped down the hall outside the cafeteria to answer it.

"Yeah?" he asked as he clicked the phone on.

"Yo, man, was just calling to see how you were," Renji said in a strange sounding tone of voice.

"Um, okay, yeah. Ah, Ichigo finally woke up." He leaned against the wall and watched as people passed by him and went into the cafeteria.

"Really? That's good. Is he gonna be okay?"

"I don't know anything yet. But, ah, I told him something. And I don't know how he's gonna react to it," Grimmjow started, looking up at the ceiling.

"What'd ya tell him?" Renji asked, still sounding somewhat hollow.

"Th-that I care about him. More than I thought I did," he answered, not sure how Renji even was going to react to that statement.

Renji was quiet for a moment. "Yeah, I was figuring that was comin'," he said finally.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Grimmjow asked, a little annoyed by the statement.

"Just you been different since ya been seeing him. I didn't wanna say anything, but even I could tell you was different." He paused and took a breath. "I know I haven't been very good about the whole thing, but yer my friend, and I want you to be happy. If that means being with Ichigo, then I gotta accept that."

Grimmjow was quiet for a minute and nodded to himself. "Yeah. But I don't know what he's gonna say. I got chased out by the nurses and the doctor before he could even say anything."

"I'm sure his dumb ass feels the same as your dumb ass does," Renji said with a little less hollow sound to his voice.

"But what if he doesn't? This is the first time I've felt this way and I dunno what to do with it," Grimmjow told him as he ran a hand over his head.

"Man, you just gotta do what feels right. That's all you can do," Renji commented.

Grimmjow was quiet for a few moments processing that. "Yeah, really, all I can do is wait. And hope."

"I'm sure that you two idiots will figure out what you're doing soon enough. I gotta go, but call me if you need anything else, alright, man?" Renji said, sounding a little distracted.

"Alright, I suppose I'll talk to you soon," Grimmjow said, hanging up and putting his phone away. He swallowed thickly and went to the cafeteria.

He got himself a cup of the gourmet coffee that they sold there instead of the free black coffee from the dispensers. He sighed, ordering something with an extra shot and hoping that he could get back to see Ichigo before long. He figured he'd drink the coffee and go back up. Hopefully, the doctor and nurses would be through with him by that point. But then what if his family showed up? He sighed because that was very likely and he couldn't, wouldn't, go in there while they were there.

Once he had finished the coffee and thrown away his cup, he made his way back up to the floor Ichigo was on. As he feared, the room was filled with his family, and before he even got there, he could hear his sisters' voices. He paused in the hallway and wondered what he was going to do. He couldn't interrupt his family seeing him. He had to wait some more. He turned around and nearly ran into one of the nurses. He thought her name was Cherise.

"I'm sorry," he stammered, smiling at her.

"I'm surprised you're out here," she said with a gentle smile. "I would have thought you'd want to be in the room once he woke up."

"Um, well, his family is there. I don't wanna disturb 'em, you know," Grimmjow told her with a strained smile.

"Oh, is that so?" she asked and gave him a slight frown. "I'm sure he's wondering where you've gone off to…"

Grimmjow chewed his lip for a second. "Ah, I'm sure he's occupied with his family right now and doesn't miss me. I'll, um, go back down to the cafeteria for something to eat and then come see if he's free," he said and turned to leave.

Cherise watched him go, sighing. She nearly jumped when Kerry put a hand on her shoulder. "Oh," she exclaimed, looking over at the other nurse.

"What's the matter with him? Isn't he happy he's woken up?" Kerry asked, watching Grimmjow get on the elevator again.

"I think he still feels guilty," Cherise said with a sigh. "He doesn't want to disturb them, he says. The poor boy is beside himself with grief at what's happened, you can tell that."

Kerry nodded. "Poor dear. Well, the patient seems to be doing okay so far, but he should really get some more rest," she said as they came to the door of the room.

Both of them noticed that movement at the door attracted their patient's attention, and they both bet that he was looking for the other boy. Kerry headed back to the nurses' station and Cherise went into the room with the family.

"Dr. Kurosaki," Cherise said as she came into the room.

Isshin turned and smiled at her, a genuine, relieved smile that reflected in his eyes. "Yes, Nurse?"

"I was just coming to remind you that your son needs rest still, even though he's regained consciousness and things appear to be normal so far," Cherise reminded him.

"Oh, yes, yes, I know. The girls and I will be going home here soon. I couldn't keep them away once they found out that he was awake, even though I told them it would have to be a brief visit." He paused and looked around. "Ah, he was asking where Grimmjow had gone to?"

Cherise tried not to smile but didn't succeed very well. "Oh, I think he's around here somewhere. I believe he was giving you time with him alone."

"Yeah, I just was wondering because Ichigo seems rather insistent on seeing him again soon," Isshin said as he looked back over where the girls were both sitting on the side of the bed with him.

"I think they must have a very close relationship as worried as the other boy has been this whole time," Cherise commented. She gave him another smile. "I think their devotion to each other is admirable."

Isshin looked at her and nodded. "Admirable. Yeah, I can see that being the case. I just hope this accident doesn't cause any untoward problems with either of them…"

She patted him on the back and went over to check on Ichigo's vitals and how he was doing. He was surprisingly awake and alert, but he kept looking at the door. Cherise imagined that he was waiting for the other boy to return. She wondered at what would happen to them next.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Ichigo was exhausted by the time his sisters and father had left the room. He was a little glad that the nurse had told them that they needed to go soon today. He had to talk to Grimmjow though.

He couldn't just drop something on him like that and take off. There was no way. He kept looking for him to come back, but it seemed like as the night wore on, he didn't. He needed to talk to him about what he'd said. He needed to tell him how he felt.

"Are you alright, honey?" the nurse named Kerry asked as she came in to check his vitals again.

Ichigo looked up at her, blinking away a rush of tears that had come on him. He cleared his throat and smiled instead. "Um, yeah, just trying to sleep and not having any luck."

"He'll be back, you know," she said as she checked over the IV line.

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked, looking at her sharply.

"I think he's a little scared," she continued.

"What would he be scared of?" Ichigo asked, not quite understanding what this nurse was talking about.

She smiled at him gently. "He hasn't left since you came in, and he slept in the chair over there," she commented as she checked over his casts.

"H-he did?"

"Yeah. But you have to remember, he feels a little at fault because he was driving that car. That's a lot to have on you when someone you love is hurt, to feel like you're the reason behind it." She patted him on the arm and gave him another smile. "Just give him time."

"I don't…I don't blame him," Ichigo said after a minute. "I don't. It was an accident."

"You'll have to tell him that when he comes back," she answered.

"But what if he doesn't come back?" he asked, finally voicing the fear in his heart.

What if he'd left and didn't come back? What if he'd said that he loved him and then ran away because he didn't think Ichigo loved him back enough? He felt the prickling of tears behind his eyes and knew he was going to lose the battle against them if he wasn't careful.

The nurse put a hand on his good shoulder. "He'll be back."

Ichigo nodded, hoping that she was right. He had so much to tell him. These feelings that had been building up all this time had all come out at once, and he wasn't sure what to do with them. He had thought it was just attachment because he'd never been with anyone before, but the longer he went without seeing Grimmjow, the more he realized that he _needed_ to see him. It wasn't a want anymore, and he didn't know what to think about it.

He let himself drift for a while, still under the influence of the pain medication. It was nice to let his mind go, but he found that he often had eyes that were wet when he came awake all the way. Apparently, the drugs in his system made him weepy easily. He opened his eyes at some point, feeling like someone was in the room with him. He was hazy, and half asleep, but he felt the warmth of someone's hand in his left one. He felt someone touch his head and he nuzzled into the feeling, dropping back into sleep again.

The morning sun awoke him, and he looked around, finding himself alone again. Had it been a dream? Or had Grimmjow been there during the night? He was gone now if he had been, and that pricked at Ichigo's heart. Why had he left again? If what he said was true, why did he keep running away from him?

"How are you this morning, dear?" asked the nurse that came in. Ichigo looked over to see it was the blonde woman named Therese. She seemed nice.

"I'm okay. A little painful, but the pain medicine seems to be working for the most part. I just can't seem to keep awake though," he said, trying to move a little in the bed.

"That's normal," Therese said as she started taking his vitals again.

"Did, um, did Grimm come by?" he asked, looking concerned at the doorway.

"Oh, the other boy? Yes, he was here most of last night. I think you must have slept through most of his visit, though. I'm not sure where he's gone to this morning." She checked the bandage on his head and looked over the sutures there. "You seem to be healing well, though. I know it feels like it will take a long time, but you're improving very quickly. You'll be able to go home before long, assuming you have help while you're there."

Ichigo felt his heart drop a little. What was going to happen when he left the hospital? Was Grimmjow going to still want him? Or had everything he said just been for show?

"Honey, don't worry so much, you'll give yourself worry lines at your age," Therese commented, inputting the information into the computer beside the wall.

Ichigo looked over at her. "But why does he keep leaving? Did I do something wrong?"

The nurse's face softened and she put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You haven't done anything wrong. I think he's trying to sort through his own emotions right now after everything that happened."

"He said…he said he loved me. Was that true or was he just saying that?" he asked, looking up at her.

Therese squeezed his shoulder. "I don't see a lot of people who are as devoted as he was that don't love their partners. I think he's a little confused by his own emotions."

"I know that feeling," Ichigo said with a sigh, picking at the cast on his right arm. "I just want to talk to him again, and he won't stay around long enough to do that."

"He'll come around again," she assured and headed out of the room again.

Ichigo watched her go and felt his heart clench in his chest. Was this love? Was that what he was feeling? He wasn't sure if he liked it much because it weighed down his heart and made everything seem so heavy. Maybe that was not knowing the way the Grimmjow felt that was doing it to him. He wasn't sure. He needed to know. He suddenly felt tears start and couldn't stop them. All he could think of was if he'd done or said something to him to make him doubt him. Was that the problem? Did Grimmjow doubt his feelings? How would he know them, though? Ichigo had never told him how he felt. Even though these feelings were coming up for a while now.

He sensed someone nearby and he sat up, a bit painfully. "Grimm?" he called, not bothering to wipe his eyes.

Grimmjow came through the door then, and looked a bit downtrodden it seemed. He looked up, though, and locked eyes with Ichigo. When he saw that Ichigo had been crying, he rushed over to the bed, grabbing the chair and sitting down to take his left hand again.

"Ichi, are you okay?" he asked, desperately looking to see that he was, in fact, alright.

"You weren't here when I woke up this morning." Ichigo wasn't going to pretend that he was alright. He was done pretending. "I thought you'd left me."

Grimmjow's face turned to a grimace and he looked down at Ichigo's hand. "I'm sorry I wasn't here. I didn't know how you felt, so I went to the cafeteria to think again. I should have waited for you to wake up again."

"You're here now," he said quietly, squeezing Grimmjow's hand. "I don't want you to leave anymore."

Grimmjow looked up at him and tilted his head to the side. "Ichigo, I meant what I said."

"I…I love you too!" Ichigo blurted. "I didn't get to say it, and I think I've felt this way for a while now, and I didn't know what it meant until you said it. I want to do everything to make you happy, so I've done everything you wanted me to do."

"You don't have to do everything I say to make me happy," Grimmjow said after a minute of silence. "I want you to be happy too, you know. And if you don't want to do something, you should say so."

"But…but I've been happy with you." Ichigo looked at him and didn't hide the tears that he had shed. "I didn't know it until now, but I've never been so happy. You make me feel ways I didn't know I could feel, and I didn't know how to handle it. At first, it was just fun, and things were just because I felt like I was required to do them for you. But then, I wanted to do those things, and I wanted to be around you. I wanted to see you every day, and hear your voice. And every time Renji said something about you only having one night stands, it hurt a lot. And I couldn't say anything because I knew from the start what I was getting into. I still couldn't believe you kept asking me out, knowing how you were before."

Grimmjow was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I haven't been straight with you, but I didn't understand the way I was feeling at all. I was so confused that I couldn't tell left from right, and then after the accident, while you wouldn't wake up, it felt like my heart was breaking because it was _my_ fault. It was _my_ car that got hit. And I was driving it. No matter how I looked at it, I put you in this place, and it was killing me."

"It wasn't your fault, though." Ichigo squeezed his hand again. "You have to know that I don't blame you for the accident. I was with you because I wanted to be there, no other reason. I wanted to be with you."

"Why would you want to be with someone like me?" Grimmjow said, chewing his bottom lip for a second before he spoke again. "I have a nonstop list of girls I've slept with, and I've used my wealth to my advantage to get me more girls and show off for them. I pressured you into sleeping together the first time we went out. You went along with it, but I think you thought you had to because of where I took you. I didn't give you much choice after that either and used your sisters to manipulate you into going out with me again." Grimmjow sighed. "How could you have feelings for someone like me?"

"How could I have feelings for you?" Ichigo asked, wide-eyed. "How could you even start to feel anything towards me? I'm broke, have all kinds of family problems, and have a sister that hates you. The fact that you even asked me out the first time still amazes me, and I can't believe that still some days. You even stuck around knowing what I did to try and keep us in that crappy apartment, even though I cheated on you to do it, and I just…"

"Whoa, now, don't go on about that again! I told you that wasn't your fault; it was that shady landlord who I would have loved to gotten the chance to punch!" Grimmjow exclaimed.

Neither of them had noticed they had an audience. Cherise was standing just outside the doorway, waiting for them to come to a lull in their conversation. She needed to check the IV medications again, but she didn't want to disturb them in the middle of their talk.

"But how can you just be okay with the fact that I…" Ichigo started.

"Don't! You did what you had to do, and that's all you've ever done. I took advantage of that fact, and you still stayed with me. You did everything you did in order to make a home for your sisters and to make sure they had a good life. That's all you ever wanted, and I used that to get you to go out with me from the beginning." Grimmjow paused. "I used you. How can you sit there and say you have feelings for me knowing that?"

Ichigo reached up and put his hand on Grimmjow's face. "And I wasn't using you at first?"

"What do you mean?" Grimmjow asked, frowning now.

"I knew what I was getting into. I was willing to do what I had to for a chance to make the girls' lives better, even if it meant doing those things with you at first when I wasn't sure what it was I wanted." Ichigo sighed. "I think we both kind of went into this for our own benefit."

Grimmjow nodded. "But it changed, and I don't know when or how it happened, but it did. It became less about the sex and more about just spending time together. I mean, don't get me wrong, the sex is pretty damn good, better than any of the chicks I've been with, I gotta admit. But I started to want to do stuff with you just because, and that's never happened before."

Ichigo looked at him and smiled. "And I got to where I wanted to wake up every day with you. So, when you weren't here when I woke up this morning, I got worried that something had happened."

They were both quiet and Cherise took the opportunity to come in and check things. She looked over at Ichigo and smiled.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked as she checked over his bandages.

"Um, yeah, just still really sore," he said, reaching over to rub at his arm. "Everything over here feels like it aches."

"That's to be expected, hon. You did get a lot of fractures in the accident. I'm impressed you're doing as well as you are so quickly," she added and patted his left arm.

Grimmjow was quiet as she looked Ichigo over, his face falling a bit. Cherise patted his back as she passed behind him to leave. Ichigo reached out again and took his hand.

"Stop blaming yourself."

"I'm trying," Grimmjow said and tried to smile at him. "I've never been so scared as I was while you were out, Ichigo. I didn't know what to do. I felt like I was dying every minute that you wouldn't wake up."

Ichigo felt his heart beat hard in his chest and he felt his cheeks heat up. How could he answer that? How did he respond to that? He was about to say something when they heard a knock at the door. The both turned to see it was Renji and Rukia who had come to visit. Rukia had a vase with some flowers and a get well soon balloon in them.

"Oh, hey, guys," Grimmjow said and stood up.

Renji looked over at Rukia who shoved him forward. "Oh, yeah, um, hey. Thought we'd come by and see how you were doing, Ichigo."

Ichigo kind of looked at him without much expression. "Um, yeah, thanks."

Rukia elbowed Renji in the side hard and shoved the vase with the flowers and the balloons into his hands. "Ah, yeah, these are for you," he said as he sat the vase down on the tray table beside the bed. "How are you doing?"

Ichigo tried to smile a bit. "Um, I hurt a little, but otherwise I think I'm okay. They're giving me good medicine in here," he said and gestured to the IV stand. "It makes me a little tired, though."

There was silence for a moment until Rukia cleared her throat. "How long will you be in the hospital?" she asked.

"They're not really sure yet. It's kind of up in the air at the moment, so we'll see what they say. With the casts, I can't do a lot on my own, so I'll need lots of help for a while." Ichigo adjusted his arm and winced. "I think the broken collarbone is one of the worst ones for how much pain it causes."

Renji nodded. "I can imagine that's no fun."

Grimmjow sat with his hand curled into Ichigo's and didn't say anything. He was waiting for Renji to say something stupid or insensitive to him. He looked over at him and realized that it looked like Renji was doing his best not to be an ass. Grimmjow hoped that was true.

"Look, um, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for some of the things I've said. I really don't have an excuse," Renji said finally, running a hand over his head and sighing. "I kinda have been a dick."

Rukia elbowed him again in the side, giving him a glare.

"Okay, I really have been a dick, and I'm sorry. I just… I don't handle rejection very well, and I didn't want to think about your reasons for cutting off people as being valid, and I should have been a better friend when it happened instead of getting mad." Renji glanced over at Rukia who was still looking at him.

Ichigo looked up at him and thought that he was probably telling the truth, but even if he was, he was wary of him. After all, he had at one point called him friend, but now he wasn't so sure he could trust him again. He'd tried to do everything right, and he ended up doing everything wrong in the end, and Renji was a stark reminder of that fact. He looked down at his hand entangled with Grimmjow's and wondered if Renji could really accept things the way they were.

"I understand," Ichigo said, nodding and looking up at him with a wry smile. "I know I made mistakes and I should have trusted you more than I did. I just… I was so sure that the easiest way to keep my sisters safe was to keep away from anyone that could possibly hurt them through me." He paused and sighed, squeezing Grimmjow's hand tightly. "I didn't expect everything to blow up in my face like it did."

"I don't know what else I can say," Renji said, reaching over and taking Rukia's hand again. "I think if you guys are happy, then that's good."

Ichigo smiled at him then, squeezing Grimmjow's hand again. "I think we're happy," Grimmjow said finally. He looked up and nodded at Renji. "I know I'm happier than I have ever been with Ichigo. I know you still doubt me, but I know what I feel, and what I feel is real."

Ichigo nodded. "I think that's the only thing that matters."

Renji didn't say anything, but only looked at Rukia and sighed. "I got it. I'll try to be better."

Ichigo didn't quite trust him, though, but he nodded. He didn't quite accept the apology, because he didn't believe it was completely sincere at the moment, but he did listen and intend to try and not push him away. He thought it was good that at least he would give Grimmjow and him some breathing room. It was all that he really wanted.

They chatted about school and a few other things until it was almost lunchtime. Ichigo knew he was going to have so much work to catch up on by the time he could even get back to school, and he was already worried about it. He knew that it would be hard to catch back up once he got so far behind. It wasn't like he could go to school like this though. He couldn't even use crutches because of the broken collar bone and arm. Not that the way his ribs felt, he wanted to get up at all.

The nurse came around with lunch and Renji and Rukia said goodbye for the day. When she left, Grimmjow was left sitting there with him as he ate. They were quiet for a time, still going over everything that had happened.

"They said I'd be having surgery on my leg tomorrow morning," Ichigo commented as he finished his lunch.

"Tomorrow?" Grimmjow asked. "Okay, I'll stay here tonight then."

"You don't have to do that. I'm sure you need to get some sleep in a real bed if you've been here while I was out," Ichigo told him.

"Nah, I'll be fine. One more night won't matter. I wanna be here when you wake up," he said with a gentle smile.

Ichigo nodded. He honestly couldn't tell him not to do it because he wanted him to do it. There was another knock at the door and they both turned to see Ichigo's father standing there.

"Hey, son," he said as he walked in.

"Hey," Ichigo answered, adjusting the bed a little so he was sitting up more.

"They said you were pretty wide awake today. That's a good sign," Isshin said as he placed a hand on Ichigo's left shoulder.

"Yeah, I was telling Grimm that I'm having surgery tomorrow morning on my leg. I want him to be there when I wake up," he said, looking at Grimmjow seriously.

Isshin nodded. "Alright. I'll make sure they let him back in recovery, okay? The girls and I will be here when you get back to your room."

"Um, I can go get lunch if you two want to talk," Grimmjow said, standing up. "I mean, I haven't eaten yet today so…"

"Yes, go get something to eat!" Ichigo said with a frown. "You can't go without food! I'm sure not going anywhere."

Grimmjow smiled and squeezed Ichigo's hand again. "Okay. I'll be back soon."

Isshin watched him leave and then turned to Ichigo. "Are you sure you want him there when you wake up this time?"

Ichigo arched a brow at him. "It's what I said."

"I know you and him are close, but shouldn't your family be the ones there for you?" he asked, looking a bit concerned.

Frowning, Ichigo shook his head. "We're not close. We're dating. He's my _boyfriend._ And I think I love him."

At the pronouncement, Isshin looked a little shocked. "Love? You haven't even been with him for that long, so how do you even know if you love him?"

Ichigo looked at him for a minute before speaking. "I know how I feel, and I know how he feels. I think that's enough."

"But Karin says that…" he began.

"Karin is not going to be happy with anyone I'm with," Ichigo pointed out. "I know how she feels, but she's still a kid. She doesn't understand. And yeah, I know I'm still a kid too. But I have to figure out things on my own, and at my own pace. And this is what I want right now. I don't want the girls to see me right after surgery, and I don't even know you. So, I want someone with me that I'm comfortable with. If you can't handle that, then I'm sorry."

Isshin was quiet for a moment but nodded. "Alright. I guess you're right. It is your decision, no matter what happens. I guess it's just hard for me coming back into your life and not being the person you turn to."

"I'm sorry, but you can't be that person for me right now," Ichigo said, looking toward the window. "I've been on my own or worse for most of my life, and I've gotta make the choices now that mean the most to me. Even if Grimm and I don't work out forever, for now, I know the way I feel."

"Are you certain he feels the same way, though? Since he's been such a, well, a…"

"A player? A man-whore?" Ichigo snapped, turning back to him. "Say what you mean, or don't say anything."

"I'm sorry, son, but it is hard for me to believe someone like that would settle down with anyone, no matter who they are," Isshin finally admitted.

"His past doesn't matter to me. Yeah, when we first got together we were using each other. _We_. I was using him just as much as he was using me. I thought, then, that that's what people did. They just used each other for what they could get, and that's just the way it was. But things changed, and I changed, and he changed, and now, here we are." Ichigo sighed, reaching up and brushing his left hand over his head. "Look, I know it's hard for you to understand. But you loved my mom, right?"

"Of course, with all my heart," Isshin acknowledged immediately.

"Well, you have to let me find out what love is like for me. I can't love like you loved, I have to love like I love. And right now, I love Grimmjow. I want to be with him. And if he'll put up with me after everything I've done, I can handle him after everything he's done."

Isshin nodded. "Alright, son, alright. I understand. I'll make sure the nurses know to show him into the recovery when you're waking up in the morning." He turned and headed out, passing Grimmjow who was returning.


End file.
